Jesus once said: “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father”.
Dwight L. Moody once said; “A holy life will produce the deepest impression. Lighthouses blow no horns, they only shine”. This refers to action speaking louder than words; don’t talk the talk, rather walk the walk.
What do you suppose is more meaningful to a poor person who is lost and leery of Christians/religion/God, giving them a lecture about going to hell if they don’t come to church, or perhaps giving them a box of food, mowing their lawn and paying their overdue electric bill?
We preach the gospel every moment of every day by living our lives. If one were to take a look at the eight Beatitudes given by none less than Jesus, it becomes clear that it is those characteristics that will turn the world upside down:
“Blessed are the poor in spirit,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are they who mourn,
for they shall be comforted.
Blessed are the meek,
for they shall inherit the earth.
Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
for they shall be satisfied.
Blessed are the merciful,
for they shall obtain mercy.
Blessed are the pure of heart,
for they shall see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers,
for they shall be called children of God.
Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”
Demonstrating these characteristics is vital to our Christian witness and in fact is far more important than even the most fervent and polished rhetoric. St. Francis of Assisi understood how walking the walk could change the human heart when he wrote: “Preach the gospel always; when necessary use words”. Selah . . .
We have begun a new program at the Jesus Alliance called “The Shining Light Initiative”. Recently one of our leaders raised $17,000 to give to some ministries that are doing a great job in their efforts to end sex slavery in this country through establishing safe houses and rescue operations for those who are slaves to it. I say Bravo!
We are in contact with hundreds of worthy organizations involved in all kinds of work including feeding hungry children, to providing clothing to the needy, assisting wounded warriors, providing funding to prison ministries and so forth.
Yes we need money to build the infrastructure for our global communication network, website, producing targeted videos, and the like, but we are convinced that we must also participate in “rubber hitting the road” shining light initiatives too. I encourage you to do the same starting today.
We have held meeting after meeting trying to develop strategies to enhance the image of Christians around the world. We could have saved ourselves quite a bit of time and hot air by just looking at the compassion ministry of Jesus who never met anyone with a need that He didn’t help. We just need to follow His lead.
Have a great weekend and go to Honey Lake Church or somewhere this Sunday.
John 8:12
Then Jesus again spoke to them, saying, “I am the Light of the world; he who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life.“
December 18, 2015 – Click here to listen