Shine On

“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;” (Php 2:15 AV)

 

Hopefully, today marks a change in the style of my entries.  I have been reading one of my favorite authors from two centuries ago.  A few of his works, as far as I am concerned, were masterpieces.  He was a holiness author who also understood the true doctrine of sanctification and did not allow the spiritualism and mysticism of the day to taint his view of holiness.  His writings are an inspiration and transformative.  He was not a prolific writer.  He only wrote a few works.  Of those, three are exceptional.  What struck me as I read a brief work of his on prayer is my entries have mostly been about life experiences rather than written in a style of a sermonette.  This latter style I hope to incorporate more and more.  So, to that end, let us consider the above verse.  In particular, the very last phrase.

Philippians chapter two is one of my favorite chapters.  Particularly because of how it starts.  Paul instructs the saints to have the same mind that brought Jesus to earth and die in obedience to the will of the Father.  It is this mindset that sets up the result of the above verse.  We are lights in this world whether we realize it or not.  Some shine brighter than others.  But all shine.  The world has always been a dark place.  Since the sin of Adam and Eve, the world has known nothing but sorrow, pain, and death.  The human race has done this to itself.  Yet, our glorious God has not left us without hope.  He sent His willing and compassionate Son to offer His own life on a cruel cross that all who repent of their sin and trust Him would be instantly adopted into the family of God!  What a glorious thought!  What a wonderful truth!  This new identification goes to the very heart and soul of our existence.  In an instant, we are transformed.  The old man is crucified with Christ that it might be destroyed.  That we would henceforth not walk as we did in the past, but walk in the newness of life that is in Christ.  He bled and died that those who submit to His free gift of salvation would cease to be the children of the devil and become the sons of God.

When this happened, we became the children of light.  We began the process by which we are transformed into the image of His dear Son.  This creates a contrast.  Some try to hide it.  They cannot agree with Paul when he states in Romans chapter one and in verse sixteen that he is not embarrassed regarding the power of Christ and what He has done.  They hide in the background, hoping against all hope no one will ask why they are so different.  Others tolerate the shiny new person they have become, but don’t do anything with it.  Then there are those who understand the power of the shiny new them.  They realize they shine brightly in a sin-soaked world and do not hesitate to let others notice.  They pray in public.  They speak to others about Christ.  They smile when others frown.  They walk in faith while others cower.  They see the sunrise while others see the sunset.  They do not mind the reality of being a beacon that shines brightly when there seems to be no light around them.  This is what we are.  We cannot help it.  As we live our Christian lives, we are a light to a lost and dying world.  We are that ray of hope for which others may be looking.  What a privilege!  What a gift!  What an awesome opportunity.  To be created to be that voice of joy, hope, and love that is so sadly lacking in today’s world is something to cherish, not repel or hide.  So, let your light so shine before men that they might come to Christ also!