"You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. 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. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven. Matthew 5:14-16 (NIV)
These are the words of Jesus, The Christ, which He spoke during His Sermon on The Mount, as recorded by the Apostle Matthew. Jesus was speaking to His disciples, and indirectly to the believers in the crowd which had gathered around them. He told them that they were "the light of the world." Jesus is The Light of the world. (John 9:5) The Light came into the world, but mankind preferred the darkness because they were evil and sinful. (John 3:19) Because the disciples were believers, He was within them, and they were to let the light of Christ that was within them shine forth so that men could see their good works and glorify God. (John 17:21 and 23)
As believers we have the charge and the responsibility to behave and speak in a Christ-like manner so that the light of Christ within us can shine and men can see The Christ in us. Not only are we to obey His Holy Word, to do good works, and to avoid that which is evil, we are to avoid even the things which have the appearance of evil. (1 Thessalonians 5:22) That which we say and do should give God glory, and those who see our good works should also glorify God and not us.
Wednesday, October 8, 2014
Sunday, October 5, 2014
When Trouble Strikes
"Once safely on shore, we found out that the island was called Malta. The islanders showed us unusual kindness. They built a fire and welcomed us all because it was raining and cold. Paul gathered a pile of brushwood and, as he put it on the fire, a viper, driven out by the heat, fastened itself on his hand. When the islanders saw the snake hanging from his hand, they said to each other, 'This man must be a murderer; for though he escaped from the sea, Justice has not allowed him to live.' But Paul shook the snake off into the fire and suffered no ill effects. The people expected him to swell up or suddenly fall dead, but after waiting a long time and seeing nothing unusual happen to him, they changed their minds and said he was a god." Acts 28:1-6 (NIV)
Under the guidance of The Holy Spirit of God, Luke, the physician and frequent travelling companion of the Apostle Paul, recorded this event which occurred after the ship wrecked during a severe storm on their way to Rome. Paul was a prisoner on the ship. He was being transported to Rome to be heard by Cesar because he had appealed the results of an earlier trial. When the poisonous snake bit Paul, he did not panic. He shook it off, and kept on doing what he was doing.
When trouble strikes, don't panic, shake it off, and keep on working for The Lord. Don't panic, when we panic, we tend to get emotional, which clouds our judgment, and we tend to make bad decisions, which make our situation worse. Shake it off, grabbing the head of a snake or trying to pull it off will do more damage to us. Most of our troublesome situations will not be solved by force or the use of our strength. We need to treat most of our problems like water on a duck's back. Trouble, like most storms, won't last very long. (Psalms 30:5) Keep on working for The Lord. All of us are part of God's plan, and He has something for us to do. The Church is the body of Christ, and all believers have a function to perform. (1 Corinthians 12:12 and 12:27) So, keep on working, or get busy and start working for The Lord. If we are doing His will, all things will work out for our good. (Romans 8:28)
Under the guidance of The Holy Spirit of God, Luke, the physician and frequent travelling companion of the Apostle Paul, recorded this event which occurred after the ship wrecked during a severe storm on their way to Rome. Paul was a prisoner on the ship. He was being transported to Rome to be heard by Cesar because he had appealed the results of an earlier trial. When the poisonous snake bit Paul, he did not panic. He shook it off, and kept on doing what he was doing.
When trouble strikes, don't panic, shake it off, and keep on working for The Lord. Don't panic, when we panic, we tend to get emotional, which clouds our judgment, and we tend to make bad decisions, which make our situation worse. Shake it off, grabbing the head of a snake or trying to pull it off will do more damage to us. Most of our troublesome situations will not be solved by force or the use of our strength. We need to treat most of our problems like water on a duck's back. Trouble, like most storms, won't last very long. (Psalms 30:5) Keep on working for The Lord. All of us are part of God's plan, and He has something for us to do. The Church is the body of Christ, and all believers have a function to perform. (1 Corinthians 12:12 and 12:27) So, keep on working, or get busy and start working for The Lord. If we are doing His will, all things will work out for our good. (Romans 8:28)
Saturday, October 4, 2014
Be Like The Salt Of The Earth
"You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men." Matthew 5:13 (NIV)
These are the words of Jesus, The Christ, which He spoke to His disciples, and to the crowd that surrounded them, in His Sermon on The Mount, as recorded by the Apostle Matthew. Jesus told His disciples that they were "the salt of the earth." Salt has a unique flavor. Because of its chemical properties, it has a purifying and a preserving influence. Jesus said, if they lose their "saltiness", then they were no longer good for anything.
As students of Christ, and of His Word, believers today are to be like salt. We bring a unique "Christ-like" "flavor" to the world. Just as salt prevents most germs from growing or surviving, we should inhibit the spreading of sin, evil, and wrong-doing by our presence, principals, and our practices. Just as salt can purify and preserve meat, we should be able to help purify, correct and redirect, and preserve, encourage good works, in the people that we come into contact with. Our words should be "seasoned with salt" so that we speak appropriately to people, and answer their questions correctly. (Colossians 4:6) If we lose that ability to help people, then we would be good for nothing. So, let us be like salt, and be a Christ-like purifying influence in a sin sick world.
These are the words of Jesus, The Christ, which He spoke to His disciples, and to the crowd that surrounded them, in His Sermon on The Mount, as recorded by the Apostle Matthew. Jesus told His disciples that they were "the salt of the earth." Salt has a unique flavor. Because of its chemical properties, it has a purifying and a preserving influence. Jesus said, if they lose their "saltiness", then they were no longer good for anything.
As students of Christ, and of His Word, believers today are to be like salt. We bring a unique "Christ-like" "flavor" to the world. Just as salt prevents most germs from growing or surviving, we should inhibit the spreading of sin, evil, and wrong-doing by our presence, principals, and our practices. Just as salt can purify and preserve meat, we should be able to help purify, correct and redirect, and preserve, encourage good works, in the people that we come into contact with. Our words should be "seasoned with salt" so that we speak appropriately to people, and answer their questions correctly. (Colossians 4:6) If we lose that ability to help people, then we would be good for nothing. So, let us be like salt, and be a Christ-like purifying influence in a sin sick world.
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