HIDING YOUR LIGHT (is like a city on a hill)
Greetings in the name of Jesus:
It is extremely difficult to hide the city that sits on a hill. The light in that city from its people can be seen for miles. If we for Christ, we will cool like the lights that shine within that city, and we will show others what Christ is like. There are a few ways that are light is trying to be today. In
Matthew 5:14-16 Jesus tells us "you are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on the stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your father in heaven."
1. We often try to hide our light by being quiet at a time when we should be speaking out. The influence that we have upon this world is felt only when we get involved in life. 2. For most of my life I have seen good Christian people going along with the crowd so that they do not cause any contention in society. They have taken the idea of living at peace to the extreme of giving a silent approval of the sin that is all around them. 3. If we are silent about our faith, we are also denying the light that is within us. 4. In that way we have begun a journey of allowing the sin all around us to begin to dim our personal witness and light to the world. 5. Instead of being silent we need to be explaining the light that is within us to those around us, and who may will be asking questions of us concerning our faith. We may well desire to not have conflict in our life, and yet when we are in Christ conflict will follow us around, constantly poking and prodding at us. We are called to be a beacon of truth and so we cannot ignore others or shut are light off from the rest of the world.
It becomes these small but simple teachings from Christ that lays down the very foundation of our witness and the life changing testimony before God has done in changing us to fit within his kingdom. You see without that transformation, and without that change within our lives the world around us cannot see in the light or direction it can turn to. Much like that pinpoint of light that can be seen in a very dark place we become a reflection of God's truth and light. We are not of ourselves a source of light from God in the way that Jesus Christ was, but we are merely a reflection of that light that shines through us and reflects how God's touch can change us from the old man that we were, and into a new creature that we were created to become spiritually. It is that change in who we are that those around us see the most in our relationship with God. What we do, how we act, what we say, are all a byproduct of the relationship that we have with Christ. I do not believe that anyone with a true relationship with Christ can even help but to show forth these various fruits of the spirit within their lives.
Jesus goes on in his sermon to teach about the law and the changes that God the father is bringing to his relationship with men and women that will change not only the way we see of God, but in the way we try to keep that law. Instead of dealing with the law on a physical basis Jesus begins to deal with the law spiritual basis. So many of us may look good on the outside until there is an opportunity for a much closer observation. It is at that time that those things that looked good before begin to fall apart. The scribes and Pharisees, the leaders of the synagogue may have looked pious, but they were far from the kingdom of God. God judges our hearts as well as our deeds, where it is in the heart that are real allegiance lies. We need to be just as concerned about our attitudes that people in general don't see is about our actions on the outside that can be seen by all. We will pick up on some of what Jesus said about the law in the next blog. May you richly bless God through your life in him.
THE UNWORTHY SERVANT
It is extremely difficult to hide the city that sits on a hill. The light in that city from its people can be seen for miles. If we for Christ, we will cool like the lights that shine within that city, and we will show others what Christ is like. There are a few ways that are light is trying to be today. In
Matthew 5:14-16 Jesus tells us "you are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on the stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your father in heaven."
1. We often try to hide our light by being quiet at a time when we should be speaking out. The influence that we have upon this world is felt only when we get involved in life. 2. For most of my life I have seen good Christian people going along with the crowd so that they do not cause any contention in society. They have taken the idea of living at peace to the extreme of giving a silent approval of the sin that is all around them. 3. If we are silent about our faith, we are also denying the light that is within us. 4. In that way we have begun a journey of allowing the sin all around us to begin to dim our personal witness and light to the world. 5. Instead of being silent we need to be explaining the light that is within us to those around us, and who may will be asking questions of us concerning our faith. We may well desire to not have conflict in our life, and yet when we are in Christ conflict will follow us around, constantly poking and prodding at us. We are called to be a beacon of truth and so we cannot ignore others or shut are light off from the rest of the world.
It becomes these small but simple teachings from Christ that lays down the very foundation of our witness and the life changing testimony before God has done in changing us to fit within his kingdom. You see without that transformation, and without that change within our lives the world around us cannot see in the light or direction it can turn to. Much like that pinpoint of light that can be seen in a very dark place we become a reflection of God's truth and light. We are not of ourselves a source of light from God in the way that Jesus Christ was, but we are merely a reflection of that light that shines through us and reflects how God's touch can change us from the old man that we were, and into a new creature that we were created to become spiritually. It is that change in who we are that those around us see the most in our relationship with God. What we do, how we act, what we say, are all a byproduct of the relationship that we have with Christ. I do not believe that anyone with a true relationship with Christ can even help but to show forth these various fruits of the spirit within their lives.
Jesus goes on in his sermon to teach about the law and the changes that God the father is bringing to his relationship with men and women that will change not only the way we see of God, but in the way we try to keep that law. Instead of dealing with the law on a physical basis Jesus begins to deal with the law spiritual basis. So many of us may look good on the outside until there is an opportunity for a much closer observation. It is at that time that those things that looked good before begin to fall apart. The scribes and Pharisees, the leaders of the synagogue may have looked pious, but they were far from the kingdom of God. God judges our hearts as well as our deeds, where it is in the heart that are real allegiance lies. We need to be just as concerned about our attitudes that people in general don't see is about our actions on the outside that can be seen by all. We will pick up on some of what Jesus said about the law in the next blog. May you richly bless God through your life in him.
THE UNWORTHY SERVANT
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