April 12th, 2017

Designed by Him to Shine for Him (Matthew 5:14-16)
 
Matthew 5:14-16 – “Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid.  Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house.  Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.”
In John 8:12, Jesus said, “I am the light of the world.” While Jesus walked this earth, He was the light of the world. However, in His absence, we now are. As Christ is in us and shines through us, we, in His physical absence, have become the light of the world. The world about us is dark spiritually.
 
What’s nine times more efficient than a light bulb and doesn’t need electricity? It’s the lightning bug. The lightning bug, or firefly, is a winged beetle which uses bioluminescence to produce light. We see this insect each summer. They are fascinating little creatures. I find it amazing that some of man’s most expensive scientific research is devoted to duplicating what often occurs naturally in Creation.
 
If the chemicals utilized by the lightning bug were not mixed in the right proportion, the firefly could not emit light. It therefore could not attract a mate or prey and it would die. This little beetle is not the product of evolutionary mutations over millions of years, but it is the handiwork of an intelligent Designer.
 
Just as every detail of the lightning bug has been intricately designed by God, so He directs every circumstance of our lives. God knows that if your experiences are not mixed in the right proportion, you cannot bring Him glory. God knows your needs. If He can make a little beetle shine for His glory, then He can make His glory shine through your life! Resolve to shine brightly for Him in even your darkest circumstances.
 
God has called us to be a lighthouse to a perishing world. Part of our duty as Christians is to be a prism through which the light of the Gospel can be focused upon a dark world. We are called of God to shine the light of the Gospel. Our heavenly Father is glorified by honesty, or other good works, that reflects the light of the Gospel.
 
Prayer: Father, I know that You desire to shine brightly through my life. Though the world is getting darker may Your Light shine even brighter through me. Help me to reflect Your love so that mankind can see Your love through me. Help me so that my works will point others to You, as Christ as our example. Amen.