Born to Shine

"Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven." -Matthew 5:16
 
When I was in color guard in high school, (you know, the people who come out with the band waving flags?), they used to always tell us to 'shine'. That meant, 'stand up straight, head held high, and always remember to SMILE.' Some days weren't as easy as others wearing spandex leotards in the hot summer sun, or being so cold you could barely feel your toes with just sneakers and stockings to cover your feet. But, although some people wondered what our purpose was besides taking up space on the field during halftime, it was a huge part of the main objective. We were the ones bringing color, sparkle, and smiles to an otherwise purely auditory and military-type experience. Some people thought we were the cheerleader 'rejects'. But now I realize it was about much more than just waiving flags around during halftime. 

When I think of the verse above, I often think of my experience in color guard. We were encouraged to 'let our light shine (before men)'. We were a part of a team. We weren't in competition with one another. We had fun together. And our mission together was to bring light, color, and sparkle to an otherwise fairly dull performance. (Nothing against band members here, just not as much sparkle!) We were the icing on the cake! 

As Christians, we're called to do the same. We're called to let our lives shine before men. We are the salt of the earth. Joy (our shine factor) is a natural bi-product of a two-way relationship with the living God who loves us, takes care of us, and gives us direction for our lives. It is indicative of our trust in Him. 

How do we let our light shine before men? First we have to realize that being a Christian involves not necessarily happiness, but at least a positive outlook. We look gratefully at life as an opportunity for us to bring God's kingdom to earth, and save souls in the process. We see the best in others - we see their potential - just as God does with us. And we overlook and forgive offense by the power of God's grace in our own lives. God is a God of hope and second chances. It also says in the Bible, "The world will know you are my disciples by the love you have for one another." (John 13:35 ) People will see us shine in the care and love we have for each other. 

Are you able to let your light shine? Spend time in prayer. Spend time in worship. Spend time with other believers encouraging one another. If you don't feel very close to God, pray today that He might reveal more of Himself, so that more of His light can shine through you for all the world to see.

Get Up!

"Knowing their thoughts, (Pharises) Jesus said, 'Why do you entertain evil thoughts in your hearts? Which is easier: to say, "Your sins are forgiven," or to say, "Get up and walk"? But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins....' Then he said to the paralytic, 'Get up, take your mat and go home.' And the man got up and went home." Matthew 9:4-8

There are times in life when we feel like giving up. We don't want to try again; we stop even caring. We feel hopeless and inadequate, as if there was nothing we could do to reconcile our pain or help our circumstance. 

But, in spite of our feelings, God has a different view. Like the man who had been lying on the mat for most of his life, we don't realize the true potential of God. The reality is that we ARE forgiven. The reality is that he HAS set us free. The reality is that we don't have to live in a place of doubt, despair, discouragement, loneliness, or anything else that might try to steal away the life, love and joy that God intends for us. Like the man on the mat, we have to be awakened to the fact that He sent his Son, His only Son, not only because He loves us, but also because He believes in us to do great things!
 
Once I was feeling so broken because my roommate at the time had unexpectedly bailed, and subsequently, I lost my apartment because I couldn't afford it alone. My only option was to move in with my dad and stepmom, which, in my mind, was completely out of the question. "I'LL NEVER LIVE WITH YOU!" I shouted, later regretting what I had said. To me, "moving in" was the worst possible solution because of some negative feelings I had toward my parents. I felt so helpless. I felt so alone. I didn't understand the process of God in one of my most trying times. I plopped down on the floor when I reached their house and just cried. I couldn't even say what was the matter. Then, something happened. "GET UP!", said my stepmom, powerfully. No one had ever said that to me before. It rather shocked me into reality; but amazingly, not in a bad way. It was as though someone believed I was going to make it in spite of what was happening.
 
When you feel downtrodden, get up! Don't let the things that try to keep you down stop you. Recognize these as attacks from the enemy. Don't let him win. Let God's Spirit rise up inside of you. Let the truth and peace that you know is real bring you through to the next place, and remember how much He loves you, in spite of any circumstance you may be experiencing. He loves us so much more than we will ever know.

Built on Jesus

“They are like a man building a house, who dug down deep and laid the foundation on rock. When a flood came, the torrent struck that house but could not shake it, because it was well built.”  -Luke 6:48

What does it mean to have a life built on Jesus? I heard someone say once, “Many people build their lives around Jesus.  But that’s very different from building your life upon Jesus. When the storm comes, everything that’s not built on a solid foundation won’t be able to stand. But, if our lives are built on Jesus, our faith will remain.”

Everything in this world will fall away that’s not built on Jesus.  That is why He said, “store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal.” -Matthew 6:20  When the storms come, and we find ourselves shaken, we can always fall back on Jesus.  He is the rock that will never fall away. “Truly He is my rock and my salvation; He is my fortress, I will not be shaken.” -Psalm 62:6

If we build our lives on money, we will find that it never satisfies. If we build our lives on relationships, we will find ourselves let down by unmet expectations.  If we build our lives on religion, we will find that we’re never good enough.  If we build our lives on government promises, we will find ourselves disenchanted by imperfect people. Even still, if we build our lives on having a perfect body, or people's approval, we’ll find that it doesn’t last forever.

What lasts forever?  Jesus is the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. (Rev 1:8) Building our lives on Jesus is the best, most solid investment we can ever make.

Are you building your life on Jesus?

Overcoming the Stress Disease

"Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?" -Matthew 6:27

We have a problem with stress in our culture. Coupled by the fact that we work a lot, and have many distractions, we juggle all our plates on sticks hoping to make something of ourselves, overcome our problems, and make it look easy.

But is it really easy?

According to the American Institute of Stress, Time Magazine's June 6, 1983 cover story was called "The Epidemic of the Eighties" and cited stress as our leading health problem. Since then, it has only gotten worse. In 1996, Prevention magazine asked respondents if they had "great stress." Seventy-five percent said they did, while just 55% of those queried in the the 1983 Time Magazine article said they did. Now, 80-90% of all visits to primary care physicians are for stress-related problems.(1) Stress also has a detrimental effect on work and productivity, too. "American businesses lose an estimated $200-$300 billion dollars per year to stress related productivity loss and other costs."(2)

How are we to look at stress as Christians? Is stress something we should have? I can't imagine Jesus having any stress. Sure, he had righteous anger for the selling at the temple. (Matthew 21:12-13) And, he mourned for his friends. (John 11:35) But he wasn't stressed out. His father is God, for crying out loud! If your dad is God, I don't imagine you'd get upset about very much. If there's a problem, He'll take care of it or empower you to. But, aren't we all His children?

Some days I do a better job than others believing that the ultimate outcome is up to God. We can do and say the right things, but when it comes down to it, we have no control. Even still, what we are responsible for is our own decisions and responses to situations. We need to do the right things anyway. It is likely God will use us in every circumstance to bless others when we do. But we need to realize it's not about us - it's about Him. Even if we did all the wrong things He would still love us.

Are you able to let go of outcomes to God and let go of stress? The thing we think about the most becomes an idol in our lives. Are we thinking about the love and peace of God, or are we thinking about something else? There is nothing He can't handle - let Him have it today. There is no burden, stressor or sin that He can't overcome.

"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest." -Matthew 11:28

1. http://www.stress.org/americas.htm 2. http://www.holisticonline.com/stress/stress_introduction.htm

Keys of the Kingdom: Generosity

"Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously." -2 Corinthians 9:6

 

Have you ever experienced extraordinary blessing in your life? Or, have you had the opportunity to be a conduit for blessing in someone else's life? Generosity is a huge key that unlocks the door of God's kingdom into our lives. 

I had just received a very large gift from someone that was rather unexpected. So large, in fact, that the gift was very difficult to accept! 

But, I realized this gift was as much for me as it was for the giver. After speaking with several trusted people about the gift, we joyfully received it. It was an unexpected blessing that helped us in greater ways than could have been quantified in natural terms! The uncanny thing was that we had given money to a kingdom ministry just a day before that had now returned to us 100 fold. 

All that we have is not our own. We are simply managers of what God has entrusted to us. It is by God's grace that He gives it - as it says, "every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change." -(James 1:17)

God desires that generosity cover all of us - so that we are never in need. "Then Jesus said to his disciples: 'Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear. For life is more than food, and the body more than clothes.'" -Luke 12:22 & 23 He desires that we place our trust in Him so that we can have peace that He is the source of our provision. 

Generosity unlocks the windows of heaven into our own lives. Have you graciously received or been generous today?

God's Refining Fire

"Then I will purify them and put them to the test, just as gold and silver are purified and tested. They will pray in my name, and I will answer them. I will say, 'You are my people,' and they will reply, 'You, LORD, are our God!'" Zechariah 13:9 (CEV)

Did you know that God tests us? He doesn't do it to be mean or to play a joke on us, but He does it to see where our heart is. He does this because this is the most important thing to him - our heart.
 
As children of His, he wants us to experience life as it was meant to be, full of purpose, meaning, and great relationships. In order for us to experience those things, he puts us through the "refining fire". This is the place of testing, where the bad comes out, and the good stays intact, like gold in a kiln.
 
Everyday, we experience tests and trials, though we may not recognize them as such. When big ones happen, we question God. "Why did this happen? Why did they do that to me? It wasn't right! It wasn't fair! God, change them!" When really, it is us He is desiring to change.
 
Have you ever heard the quote, "He loves us too much to keep us where we are"? It may already be an old cliché to you, but I believe it to be true. Testing removes the impurities in our hearts, so we may be found spotless and holy, as a living sacrifice, just as Jesus was. (1 Peter 1:19)
 
Have you experienced God's testing? If not, ask him to work his perfect miracle in you, to transform you into a person who reflects God's glory. Let the gold that is in you be refined, so that the destiny God has for you can be revealed and lived out. Let him work his perfect miracle in you today.

Begin Again

"But though a righteous man falls seven times, he rises again, but the wicked are brought down by calamity." -Proverbs 24:16

 

Have people ever let you down? If you're dealing with human beings, in ministry or in business, or anywhere for that matter, it's likely they will! 

But what do we do when people mess up? Do we tell them there's no hope, that God is angry with them, or do we tell them that God is a God of second chances, waiting with open arms for us to run back to Him when we repent? The second picture is the more accurate one. 

Peter was in the garden with Jesus. Jesus told him he would deny him three times before the rooster crowed. Peter didn't believe he would do it. 'I will never deny you,' he said. And yet, when he was asked by Roman soldiers if he knew Jesus, he denied it three times.(John 18:27) But even after all of that Jesus still said to him, 'You are Simon Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church." (Matthew 16:18) 

As Christians, we need to realize that God is cheering us on. He loves it when we lead a life that's pleasing to Him. And He knows it can be difficult sometimes. We need to believe in others like He believes in us. People WILL let us down, there is no doubt about it. But there is always hope in God, He is the hope of the world! We need to place our faith and trust for the outcome of their lives in His hands, and learn to see them as He sees them. 

If you're like a lot of people, YOU have let you down. But we need to learn to dust ourselves off and get back up, and try again. The Bible says the righteous fall 7 times, but they get back up. Are you getting up from whatever it is you're encountering, or are you staying on the ground? We can't let ourselves or others fall into the trap that there is no grace, no hope. As long as we're alive we have the ability to turn things around. 

Is there someone you need to forgive and believe in again? Do you need to forgive yourself? May we all receive the grace necessary for our journeys, and give it to others who need someone to believe in them. If the church doesn't believe in people, who will?