"No one, when
he has lit a lamp, puts [it] in a secret place or under a basket, but
on a lampstand, that those who come in may see the light. "The
lamp of the body is the eye. Therefore, when your eye is good, your
whole body also is full of light. But when [your eye] is bad, your
body also [is] full of darkness. "Therefore take heed that the
light which is in you is not darkness. "If then your whole body
[is] full of light, having no part dark, [the] whole [body] will be
full of light, as when the bright shining of a lamp gives you light."
Luke 11:33-36 NKJV
I
was fortunate enough to be raised by
Christian parents and introduced to our Lord at a very early age.
Some of my most favorite memories are of sitting in Sunday School
singing songs and listening to the stories as we were taught about
the Gospel of Christ, and Jesus' love for us. One of my memories is
of how much we liked to sing certain songs, which was evident in the
volume we sung them. One of those which I am sure many of you
remember as well is called “This Little Light of Mine”. Complete
with hand motions, we would sing that particular song as loud as five
and six year old children possibly could.
I
don't remember how old I was when I figured out that the message in
this song was taken straight from scripture, but it is one lesson
that I have never forgotten, and in light of what we have been
discussing lately one which I feel is extremely important to all of
us. Many of us remember the saying “WWJD, or what would Jesus do”?
If I were to try and come up with something like that which the body
could use to improve it's appearance in the world, I would suggest
that we try “WDOS”, or “what do others see”?
One
doesn't have to read and study scripture very long before coming to
the knowledge of the importance God places on the actions of those
who profess to believe. I know of, and have heard so many instances
where people have found out after the fact that people around them
were watching them closely to see if their actions in life lived up
to their profession of faith. It happens all the time and yet there
are many in the body who seem to be completely unaware of the fact
that their light might be burning a little “dim”.
We
have been looking the past few weeks at a passage of scripture which
explains in great detail the downward progression of some in the body
as we approach the end of this age, and I think it important now that
we all take a good look at ourselves in light of scripture to see if
we are reflecting the light of our salvation, or if in fact we might
be reflecting something else entirely.
Something
I am sure most of you have already noticed is that at times the
Bible certainly could be described as a book of opposites. This is
especially true when you contrast what the Bible calls the “works
of the flesh” and the “fruits of the Spirit”.
Now the works of the flesh are
evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness,
lewdness,idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies,
outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, envy,
murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you
beforehand, just as I also told [you] in time past, that those who
practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.
Galatians 5:19-21 NKJV
But the fruit of the Spirit is
love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.
Galatians 5:22-23 NKJV
So the question for us is simple...what do others see when they look
at us? Do they see a light shining in the darkness or a light hidden
so well that we look just like the world around us? Many if asked
would say that the world is getting darker. Society is changing and
the relative morality of the world is spiraling downwards at an ever
increasing pace. The struggle for us as believers is to insure that
we continue to reflect the light that is in us even as persecution
begins to be commonplace as we are attacked for our faith in God and
adherence to His principles.
in all things showing yourself
[to be] a pattern of good works; in doctrine [showing] integrity,
reverence, incorruptibility, sound speech that cannot be condemned,
that one who is an opponent may be ashamed, having nothing evil to
say of you.
Titus 2:7-8 NKJV
Since
today is the Super Bowl it seems appropriate to use football as an
illustration in some way so I will try to do that in light of what we
are talking about. I'm sure most of us, either in football or
something else, could at one time or another be described as a fan.
Fans like a certain team and support them (sometimes exuberantly) as
the season goes on. They may even wear their teams colors with hats
or jerseys or even fly flags which show their support. But what
happens when their team begins to lose? Have you seen pictures of
stadiums which are only half full because fans either leave early or
don't come at all? I think you could make the case that in difficult
times, when the going gets rough, the only people who still show
support are those who are committed followers of their team.
As
believers, maybe that is a question we need to ask ourselves when
times get difficult. Are we true followers of God who are committed
to follow Him no matter what the cost or the circumstances in which
we find ourselves? Or are we simply fair weather fans who are
committed only when things are going well and we are happy with our
circumstances?
Beloved, I beg [you] as
sojourners and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts which war against
the soul, having your conduct honorable among the Gentiles, that when
they speak against you as evildoers, they may, by [your] good works
which they observe, glorify God in the day of visitation.
1 Peter 2:11-12 NKJV
More
and more we see those who choose to believe be attacked for their
faith, but this passage makes it clear that even though others may
choose to “speak against us”, the fact that we choose to stay
strong and keep the faith will glorify God in the end. Others are watching us, especially as the circumstances around us get more difficult. Yet it goes without saying that a light shines brighter the darker it gets. Our responsibility is to make sure our light shines in such a way as for others to see. My prayer is
that we all will have the courage to look at ourselves honestly to
see if we are indeed shining brightly to the world around us. Let
your light so shine.
Keep
watching.
