Mar 17, 2017

Shine as Beacons of Light

Phil 2:15-16 That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world; Holding forth the word of life; that I may rejoice in the day of Christ, that I have not run in vain, neither laboured in vain.

Jesus Christ says: You are the Light of the World - A city set on a hill that cannot be hidden. The world lies today, in the dominion of the wicked one. The prince of this world has darkened the minds and hearts of the people who do not believe in Christ & His word and overall, the darkness pervades the entire world. The daily news tells us that Mankind has never been so advanced in technology, but never more depraved morally & spiritually.

Into this gross darkness comes the precious Light that the Lord sends forth. This verse above reminds us that WE need to be blameless and guileless, innocent and uncontaminated, in the midst of the evil & perverse & wicked generation which surrounds us. When we eschew evil and when we are blameless, we become the bright lights or beacons which shall lead the world around us to the good news of Jesus. As Paul says: We are the letters that God is writing to the men around us. The world is so in need of a Godly example in the midst of all the immorality and permissive standards. Some may not hear the gospel, but seeing the transformation in us & our holy walk, they shall become desirous of knowing our Lord personally. We cannot sequester ourselves into an ivory tower of righteous living. The gospel has been given to us so that others can see the fruit it produces in us. This fruit comes at a cost.

What is the cost that we should pay ?

1) Hold forth the word of Life - Phil 2:16 – If we don’t have the word of life, we don’t have the real light that the Lord wants us to spread. This is the torch that we hold forth. When we do that, our lives first come under the scrutiny of the word of God. In that light, we are transformed because we are able to see ourselves and the world as the Lord sees it. This means investing time in the word of God and allowing ourselves to be changed by it.

2) Adopt a different attitude towards the world - Jas 4:4 - reminds us that friendship with the evil world is enmity with God. A changed disciple of Jesus can only see the world system in this light. Our value system (which comes from the word of God) is diametrically opposite the world system’s values. Reach out to the world to save them – but don’t be part of the world system and adopt its values.

3) Be innocent of Evil - Rom 16:19 - A rose flower grows up from soil that is full of manure. Yet, it's fragrance is not tainted with the smell of the soil in which it grew. We can't blame the world for the evil works that we do. The Lord wants us to produce the fragrance of the Word of God through us. He wants our lives to be untainted by the stench of the world around us.

4) Live righteously, soberly & in a godly manner - Tit 2:13 - The grace of God is given to us to live in such a manner, denying ourselves the opportunity to give way to ungodly & worldly lusts. It’s this kind of life that makes us prepared for the coming of the Lord. And this is the witness that the lord finally desires through us.

Through such a set of people, the God is still able to turn the world upside down as He did through a band of dedicated disciples in 1st century AD. May the Lord provoke your heart to submit joyfully to this light & easy yoke of being His disciple.
God bless you !

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