Jesus calls us to be salt and Light in our world. This week looks at how we can be salt and Light by letting his light shine more brightly through us. Then others will see Jesus more clearly.
Matt 5:8...
You are the salt of the earth. But what good is salt if it has lost its flavor? Can you make it salty again? It will be thrown out and trampled underfoot as worthless. [14] "You are the light of the world-like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden. [15] No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house. [16] In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father.
Luke 8:16-18 NLT
"No one lights a lamp and then covers it with a bowl or hides it under a bed. A lamp is placed on a stand, where its light can be seen by all who enter the house. [17] For all that is secret will eventually be brought into the open, and everything that is concealed will be brought to light and made known to all. [18] "So pay attention to how you hear. To those who listen to my teaching, more understanding will be given. But for those who are not listening, even what they think they understand will be taken away from them."
Pay attention to how you hear.
What are we paying attention to?
There are many things that vye for our attention. What are we listening to and what are we feeding ourselves with and allowing through the east and eye gate.? These verses clearly state that when we take note of something, when we take hold of how Jesus asks us to live we will be given greater understanding and insight.
There is a physical and spiritual aspect to this. What you study, what you learn about and think about naturally leads to a better understanding. There is also the spiritual aspect. God gives us greater understanding when we take note of his teaching and his word. If we are to be salt and light, then listening and paying attention are crucial. We are the light of the world.
2 Corinthians 4:5-7 NLT
You see, we don't go around preaching about ourselves. We preach that Jesus Christ is Lord, and we ourselves are your servants for Jesus' sake. [6] For God, who said, "Let there be light in the darkness," has made this light shine in our hearts so we could know the glory of God that is seen in the face of Jesus Christ. [7] We now have this light shining in our hearts, but we ourselves are like fragile clay jars containing this great treasure. This makes it clear that our great power is from God, not from ourselves.
As we live for God and let his light shine, he shines in our lives even though we are not perfect vessels. But we trust that as we become more like Christ, we are able to shine more brightly, not hiding away but living for him in a way that honours him. .
Ephesians 5:3-17 NLT
Let there be no sexual immorality, impurity, or greed among you. Such sins have no place among God's people. [4] Obscene stories, foolish talk, and coarse jokes-these are not for you. Instead, let there be thankfulness to God. [5] You can be sure that no immoral, impure, or greedy person will inherit the Kingdom of Christ and of God. For a greedy person is an idolater, worshiping the things of this world. [6] Don't be fooled by those who try to excuse these sins, for the anger of God will fall on all who disobey him. [7] Don't participate in the things these people do. [8] For once you were full of darkness, but now you have light from the Lord. So live as people of light! [9] For this light within you produces only what is good and right and true. [10] Carefully determine what pleases the Lord. [11] Take no part in the worthless deeds of evil and darkness; instead, expose them. [12] It is shameful even to talk about the things that ungodly people do in secret. [13] But their evil intentions will be exposed when the light shines on them, [14] for the light makes everything visible. This is why it is said, "Awake, O sleeper, rise up from the dead, and Christ will give you light." [15] So be careful how you live. Don't live like fools, but like those who are wise. [16] Make the most of every opportunity in these evil days. [17] Don't act thoughtlessly, but understand what the Lord wants you to do.
Live as people of light. The light produces what is good, right and true. This scripture is a great list of those things that dim the light and those things that help the light shine more brightly. So here are some thoughts.
We have light that comes from God. His light shines into the dark and brings hope and salvation. There are practical things we can do. We looked at a couple of them last week. This passage speaks to us about the kind of things we should not be participating in and what we can do instead.
Live wisely
-Make the most of every opportunity
-Think before you act
-Know what Good wants you to do.
Think before you act - we are not robots programmed to act in certain ways by others. However - for all sorts of reasons we 'act' like we are.
This is where renewing the mind is important if we are to live as salt and light. Our responses to the things around us are to be different to others .
We are to think and respond not just react in every situation. We are to be wise. What do you think it means to act wisely? Living wisely means in this context not getting involved in the things of darkness and excusing them when we find them in ourselves. There are plenty of people who will tell you what you want to hear. This passage clearly says - don't excuse them - remove them - have nothing to do with them. It doesn't say have nothing to do with people just nothing to do with what they do. In other words - be different.
Make the most of every opportunity. God gives us opportunity to live for him and to shine his light, his love into every part of our lives. Shining our light by being ready to share his love to others.
Luke 11:33-36 NLT
"No one lights a lamp and then hides it or puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where its light can be seen by all who enter the house. [34] "Your eye is a lamp that provides light for your body. When your eye is good, your whole body is filled with light. But when it is bad, your body is filled with darkness. [35] Make sure that the light you think you have is not actually darkness. [36] If you are filled with light, with no dark corners, then your whole life will be radiant, as though a floodlight were filling you with light."
I like this translation because it talks about "dark corners" the things in our lives that we pretend aren't there or we push away and hide away because we don't want others to see them but we know are there. God wants us to shine a light, his light, into those dark corners and expose what is there so that we are free and his light shines more brightly through us.
Think about the things in these passages. What things are the ones that are a challenge for you.
What are you excusing in your life?
What ones are you willing to work on?
What is God asking you to do?
How can we make the most of every opportunity?
Just to finish.
Romans 5:6-11 NLT
When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners. [7] Now, most people would not be willing to die for an upright person, though someone might perhaps be willing to die for a person who is especially good. [8] But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners. [9] And since we have been made right in God's sight by the blood of Christ, he will certainly save us from God's condemnation. [10] For since our friendship with God was restored by the death of his Son while we were still his enemies, we will certainly be saved through the life of his Son. [11] So now we can rejoice in our wonderful new relationship with God because our Lord Jesus Christ has made us friends of God.
As we look at these things let's remember that in all our struggle God loves us and is on our side working in us and with us. Jesus died for us and brought us back into relationship with him. We deal with this stuff from that relationship and not outside of it.
Romans 8:1, 9, 12 NLT
So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus. [9] But you are not controlled by your sinful nature. You are controlled by the Spirit if you have the Spirit of God living in you. (And remember that those who do not have the Spirit of Christ living in them do not belong to him at all.) [12] Therefore, dear brothers and sisters, you have no obligation to do what your sinful nature urges you to do.
God is at work and he does his work in us.
Philippians 2:12-13 NLT
Dear friends, you always followed my instructions when I was with you. And now that I am away, it is even more important. Work hard to show the results of your salvation, obeying God with deep reverence and fear. [13] For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him.
And no matter what; God's love is always there and his mercies are fresh and new every day.
Romans 8:26-35, 37-39 NLT
And the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness. For example, we don't know what God wants us to pray for. But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words. [27] And the Father who knows all hearts knows what the Spirit is saying, for the Spirit pleads for us believers in harmony with God's own will. [28] And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.
[29] For God knew his people in advance, and he chose them to become like his Son, so that his Son would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. [30] And having chosen them, he called them to come to him. And having called them, he gave them right standing with himself. And having given them right standing, he gave them his glory. [31] What shall we say about such wonderful things as these? If God is for us, who can ever be against us? [32] Since he did not spare even his own Son but gave him up for us all, won't he also give us everything else?
[33] Who dares accuse us whom God has chosen for his own? No one-for God himself has given us right standing with himself. [34] Who then will condemn us? No one-for Christ Jesus died for us and was raised to life for us, and he is sitting in the place of honor at God's right hand, pleading for us. [35] Can anything ever separate us from Christ's love? Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or hungry, or destitute, or in danger, or threatened with death? [37] No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us.
[38] And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God's love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow-not even the powers of hell can separate us from God's love. [39] No power in the sky above or in the earth below-indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.
God's love and grace is always available to help us. Let his life and love flow through you, not striving but living in his love and grace.
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