14 “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.”
Jesus knew that we would be watched. He didn’t just say, “Hey, if anyone is interested in considering if I am the Messiah and The Lord over all things, have them consider me alone.” No, He said that one of the ways this His Father was going to be glorified was when people observed how Christians live because we have we have the potential to shed “light” on who God actually is. The inverse of course is that when we live in ungodly ways, or just appear to be like everyone else, we shed no light (or in some instances actually contribute to the darkness!). So, what does the world need to see from us, in order that God the Father is glorified? Well, God’s word says, “your good deeds”. The idea of course is that when non-believers see Christians being generous, loving, obedient God-followers who lead the way in mercy, grace and forgiveness, they will glorify God. If they see that Christians really do consider others more important than themselves, and observe us loving the God we profess faith in with our “whole heart, soul and mind” then they will glorify God. The truth is that the world is watching us closely. You can almost hear a non-believer saying, “So these people (Christians) believe that their God died on the cross and because of that act every sin they have ever committed has been forgiven? Well, as ridiculous as that sounds to me, if they really believe that you would think that they would act a little more kind, and be more accepting of the rest of us who sin just like they do. You would think that they would be more joyful, generous, loving and compassionate. I am tired of seeing those dumb fish on the back of cars that are traveling at seventy-five miles an hour and cutting me off.”
What I have shared in this e-mail in no way discounts what I shared last week. People do need to decide what to do with Jesus Christ. But we are “Christ-ians” and so we are in a very real sense walking around with our T-shirts on saying, “I am a representative of Jesus, consider me, one of His followers”. Do you think that I am being overly dramatic? Do you know what God calls Christians? Do you know what He says is one of the reasons we are on this earth? Consider this:
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.
“As though God were making His appeal through us.”
“As though God were making His appeal through us.”
God is appealing to the world to consider Him, follow Him, love Him and receive His salvation — through us.
Is your life an appealing invitation to non-believers to know and love God? Is mine?
The world is watching and even though they know we are sinful just like them, they are looking to see if the God we say we believe in makes us any different than the rest of the world. And what should be our motivation to live in God’s glorifying ways?
Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship.
For Him,
Rob