Do You Light the Way?

When you enter a room, are you the light Christ expects others to see?

~ Lisa Blair

Posted on August 1, 2020 by Lisa Blair

When you enter a room, are you the light Christ expects others to see?

LAB PHOTOS

We are summoned to be the Lord’s ambassadors, to share the Word, educate non-believers, and love everyone as Christ loves us. This is not an easy task if you fall subject to gossip, anger, spite, and jealousy. 

“The good works that we do in spirit and truth are not our own good works, for of ourselves we can do nothing that is worthy of God’s praise. The good work that we do is the new-life of Christ within us, that is working through us. It is the new, born-again life of Christ that we received when we were born from above, that carries out any good works that we do, so that others may see our good works and glorify our Father Who is in heaven.” 
(Let your light shine. Matt 5:16 @ daily verse.knowing-Jesus.com)

Good works are the attributes we display moment-by-moment, day-by-day. They are the essence of who we are in Christ. These traits harken back to the Fruit of the Spirit.

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.”
‭‭Galatians‬ ‭5:22-25‬ ‭NLT

Do you reflect love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control throughout the day with everyone you come into contact with? Do you segregate who you will apply the Fruit with? For example, do you apply the Fruit with only family and friends, do you extend it to co-workers and others? Do you exclude people walking past you on the street, or people who are different than you culturally, racially or ethnically? Is it okay to display the traits to some and stereotypical hatred to the poor, beggars, nonbelievers, the elderly?

When Christ was nailed to the Cross, He took on our sin nature. Our passions and desires were nailed and crucified with Him. As Christians, we are now living by, for, and of the Spirit who dwells in us. Logically speaking, we should follow the Spirit’s leading in every part of our lives.

I ask you, “does your light show through you, or are you veiled/cloaked/bound in your sinful nature”?

“The sinful nature wants to do evil, which is just the opposite of what the Spirit wants. And the Spirit gives us desires that are the opposite of what the sinful nature desires. These two forces are constantly fighting each other, so you are not free to carry out your good intentions.”
‭‭Galatians‬ ‭5:17‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Are you willing to live the sort of life that will deny you the Kingdom of God? This brings me back to yesterday’s post, The Lost Year. The world is changing and God is calling us to step out of our comfort zone, analyze who we are, and identify our sins towards others that allow us to set others apart as less equal, less desirable, and less worthy? Do you judge who is worthy to be counted as a brother or sister? Does your sin nature govern your life?

These questions are food for thought. I believe we all struggle to overcome our sin nature. It is the constant battleground we live on until Christ returns. Are you willing to deny your sin nature and be the light, or when Christ does return will He plainly say, 

“I never knew you. Away from me, you evil doers!” Matthew 7:23, NIV

If you plan to become a prayer warrior or want to strengthen how you pray, following is a prayer I am attaching from Prayers That Avail Much, by Germaine Copeland to assist you in establishing prayer time. They just published the 40th Anniversary Copy. This and He Whispers My Name by Cherie Hill are great books to add to your Christian Book library.

One Suggestion – do not allow this opportunity to slip away. God knew we would enter this time, and I am certain His hope is that you will take advantage of it and spend more time with Him strengthening your relationship with Him. Only God knows our beginning and ending and everything in between. Jeremiah 33:3 NLT declares, ask me and I will tell you remarkable secrets you do no know about things to come.

Sources: daily verse.knowing-Jesus.com; biblegateway.com; Prayers That Avail Much. Germaine Copeland; He Whispers My Name. Trusting God’s Love. Cherie Hill.

Images: LAB PHOTOS

Little and Much

God is teaching us the meaning of life, and of all that we have.

~ MacLaren’s Expositions, Biblehub.com

God is our Heavenly Father. When we are young, our parents did not heap up riches and gold on us but rather increased our possessions and trust as we matured. It is a developmental process. God, our Father, often does the same, if we can be trusted with little and use it responsibly, then we can be trusted with much.

He who is faithful in what is least is faithful also in much, and he who is unjust in what is least is unjust also in much. ~ Luke 16:10 NIV

The NKJV uses the terms faithful and unjust. Benson wrote- “If you make that use of your riches which I have been recommending, you shall be received into those everlasting habitations, where all the friends of goodness dwell, because, by your fidelity in managing the smallest trust of temporal advantages committed to your care, you show that you are capable of the much greater trust of spiritual and heavenly employments and enjoyments, things of a much higher nature. And he that is unjust in the least — He that useth these lowest gifts unfaithfully; is unjust also in much — Is likewise unfaithful in spiritual things.

In other words, if you do not use your riches, and power, and other temporal advantages, for the glory of God, and the good of your fellow- creatures, you shall be excluded from the abodes of the blessed, because, by behaving unfaithfully in the small trust committed to you now, you render yourselves both unworthy and incapable of a share in the everlasting inheritance.”

Whether we have more or less, we must be faithful with what we have, as wise stewards. Our witness is the love we bestow on others, how we illustrate the Fruit of The Spirit, care for those unable to care for themselves (especially the young, widows, and elderly), and how we forgive others.

God is not unjust; he will not forget your work and the love you have shown him as you have helped his people and continue to help them. ~ Hebrews 6:10

Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of all he created. ~ James 1:17,18

In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven. ~ Matthew 5:16

We love because he first loved us. Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar. For whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen. ~ 1 John 4:19-20

What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them? ¹⁵ Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food.¹⁶ If one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? ¹⁷ In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead. ~ James 2:14-17

Images – Bible.com @Church Motion Graphics Inc; Google Pinterest.com

Scriptures – Biblegateway.com/Luke 16:10, NKJV; Biblestudytools.com/NIV

Resource – Biblehub.com/ MacLean Expositions; Benson Commentary

Another Act of Kindness

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Some call this ’doing good’, but as Christians, we know this is an act of kindness.

Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. Colossians 3:12 NIV

Just imagine if you were a child, in the hospital ill, looked out the window and saw a superhero looking back at you. What a great moment you would experience, one that would help you through your struggles.

Is It Enough?

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Today is Dr. Martin Luther King Jr’s. Birthday. We are honoring him for His work as one of the most prominent Civil Rights leaders throughout time. As a minister, he lived the Word. Being human Dr. King, had faults like the rest of us and questioned his effectiveness in spreading the Word and effecting change. Like most of us, he probably queried why God chose Him to do such a monumental work. God select’s people to do His work, we do not choose our path. Some of us do very public work to effect change, others of us live our daily lives living the Word in less conspicuous ways.

We all impact the world in different ways. During my earlier years, I led organizations that focused on diversity, racism, civil rights, and education. I am certain my work made a difference in ways that I cannot even phantom, but my thought today is – was it enough?

Jesus walked the earth and did not question if His work was enough. He laid the foundation for our salvation. His disciples probably questioned their work and wondered, is it enough? The truth is that we are human and will always question whether our work is sufficient.

God instructed us to carry forward in Jesus Name; to carry our cross; to do our best to exude Christ-like behaviors and not only speak about the Good News but to demonstrate it in our daily lives. That is all He asks. Therefore it is enough.

“Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you to do.” Matthew 28:19-20, NKJV

I believe, it is enough if we are walking the path God paved for us before we were born into this world. We should never fall prey to the evil one’s effort to dilute our effectiveness. We should not doubt our effectiveness if we know we are on the path. If you are uncertain, take time to evaluate what you have done, and ask God to show you your walk. He may not show you everything but will often connect the dots. He may bring memories forward about certain events, places, and people you have been connected to during different phases of your life and how you impacted their lives. Like water that cascades outward when you throw a rock into a pond or ocean, you may never know how many people, places and things were affected by your due diligence to spread the Word.

We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God.” 2 Corinthians 5:20, ESV

Watch – Serving Others Video by Rev. Dr. Bernice King

Images – Google.com
Scriptures – Bible.com
Video – YouTube

I am holding to the task of Resolving and Acting on the resolve to become a stronger Christian in the face of everyday life in 2019. Join me. Each step we take should bring us closer to Christ.

Thank you for reading my Posts. God Bless.

Our Cross To Bare

When we take up our cross, we agree to follow Christ and take on the burden of denying self for the sake of others. We vow to employ the characteristics of Christ over and above our own human desires. When we pick up the cross, we choose to spread the Good News through discussions, actions, and deeds.

Read Galatians 5:22-23, Fruit of the Spirit.

Other Posts I Authored:

YoungChristianwarriors.com (my other site)

• Why and How Do We Deny Ourselves, Dec 12, 2018

• Chosen To Be Like Christ, Nov 10, 2018

• Dying to Self, March 24, 2018

• Hear, Listen, Understand the Word of God, Jan 16, 2019

• Fruit of the Spirit, Jan 14, 2019

• Defining the Fruit For Children, October 5, 2017