Okay, so when I think about today's post I think you'll come to agree that it is at least tangentially related to Monday's. By the way, thanks for the encouragement following that post, it's nice to know I'm not the only one who feels that way at moments. Actually according to my stat counter that was one of my most visited posts since the blog has been going so it obviously touched on a common need. It's a good reminder for us to keep in mind that God's mercies are brand spanking new every morning. (As an aside you might be asking yourself what has been the most popular post. Yup, you guessed it, it's the one with the cartoon of the unicorn pooping marshmallows. I can see I draw an audience that's into the high-brow stuff.)
Anyhoo, on to the new stuff...
"You are the light of the world. A city built on a hill cannot be hidden. No one after lighting a lamp puts it under the bushel basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven." Matthew 5:14-16.
"Do all things without murmuring and arguing, so that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, in which you shine like stars in the world." Philippians 2:14-15.
This past Sunday morning David Ruis spoke at RockHarbor. For those of you who don't know David, he is an incredible guy. I am fairly confident that you have probably heard or sung one of his worship songs at one point or another. He and (one of my personal heroes) Don Williams planted a church in Hollywood about a year ago called Basileia. I haven't actually attended their church yet, but it sounds great. They draw a diverse crowd ranging from entertainment industry folks of the Hollywood hills to the homeless who hang on Sunset Boulevard. David has such a heart for serving the marginalized of society--he is one of the best examples of living a life totally devoted to the gospel that I can think of.
David spoke on Philippians chapter two and our commission to shine like stars in the world. Jesus was, and is, the light of the world. If we choose to be used for His glory then our lives should shine forth His light. But the problem is that in many cases we have lost sight of what light is really supposed to look like. David used this great example that too often Christians shine forth a dingy, cold, unattractive florescent glow rather than the true light of Christ. I think you know what he means, there are those "Christians" who make your skin crawl by the way they talk to people who have not yet chosen to embrace God. It isn't necessarily that what they say is wrong, it just is said in the wrong way. You know what I'm talking about here... that guy who can say something simple and true like "God is love", but who says it in a way that sounds like nails on a chalkboard.
There is this old story from the early twentieth century that sums up the point well. (Sorry if you've heard it before, it's possible that I might have included it in one of my early posts--if so I apologize for the redundancy.) There was a small African village where an American missionary organization was working in the late 1800s / early 1900s. One of the organization's stateside leaders traveled over to the village to assess how the mission was progressing. He got to talking to a few of the villagers and asked them if they wanted to go to heaven. The villagers asked the man if the missionaries would be there. He said that they would. They answered by saying that in that case they would rather not go to heaven.
Followers of Christ should be like Him, shining forth His warm, attractive, welcoming light. Jesus was charismatic. The crowds flocked to Him because He embraced them. He was magnetic. If that is the case why do Christians so often put people off? Part of it goes back to my Monday post... we are imperfect people who don't always do the best job in emulating His goodness. Another part of it is that many of us have lost sight of who He is and what He is about. As believers we shine forth light, whether we like it or not. When people look at us they see the light we give off, that isn't in question. The question is what kind of light that is. Is our illumination the pure light of the sun or a cold, bluish florescence? Florescent bulbs give off illumination, just not the kind that warms by its glow.
It is almost as if many of us view our role as the light police. Whenever we come across anyone who we feel hasn't seen the light of Christ we break out the thousand watt floodlights. What happened to actually loving people rather than just viewing them as potential converts? It often seems that even our love has ulterior motives. We love enough to get something. Jesus' model was one of selflessness, poured out sacrifice for the benefit of others. His was a pure, beautiful, inviting glow. Is ours?
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