Light up the world

I gave a call to my sister yesterday to check on her. She lives in Conneticut and that state was hit pretty hard by the recent storm. Thousands have been left without power and I was wondering if she was one of them. Fortunately not.  When storms like this happen it is very common for the people in the affected areas to lose their juice !  Those are the times we really come to appreciate what we have in the power that comes into our homes and provides heat and light as we scurry around looking for candles and flashlights and enter a room to look for some and flip on a light switch to enlighten the search only to hear myself then say “Duh !!”  Oh, you’ve done that too?

For us as believers, it’s when the “storms” hit our lives that the light in us should shine it’s brightest.  I have always enjoyed the place in Philippians where Paul wrote about his life in “storms” and out of them, “I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound, everywhere and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need.” (4:12).   Note the educational words in the verse?  “know” and “instructed”.  The apostle had went through a great spiritual learning curve in which no matter what the “weather” of his life was, he could deal with it well because he’d been taught, transformed and was “tied” into the grid of Divine power as he then writes that well known verse next: “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me” !   That word “strengthen” is where we get dynamite from !!

Yes, Paul had been saved (which is where we first begin to truly experience God’s power in us) but he also was walking in obedience to God’s Word each day. When he “blew it” and the lights went out he confessed the sin and the lights came on again.  Sometimes our lights are out for a while and its a matter, like David, of coming back to God and rededicating our life to Him. But like our homes, the “wiring” is all in place but maybe a storm of crisis, temptation, worry, or a wrong reaction has knocked out the power.  Why go for a candle when you can flip on the switch and enjoy full power radiating especially for those still in darkness to see that even in the midst of a storm you still have POWER !!

Jesus said, in His great Sermon the Mount, “Ye are the LIGHT of the world. . . LET your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father which is in heaven.”  (Mt.5:14-16).    Let is shine today, friend, because the power has never been on in a lot of lives out there and they need to see it in YOU !