Unreligious: Week 2 - Day 2
OPENING PRAYER:
Lord, help me realize how I can be a light to the world.
“You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden.”
REFLECT:
Having lived in the Bay Area of California I learned about an effect of artificial light in the world. The first year we lived there we never left the city and I grew accustomed to the light pollution from the city which obscured the stars. I didn’t realize what I couldn’t see in the sky until I went to northern California into a rural area on the Oregon border. What a surprise I got when I saw the brilliance of the stars in the sky. For a whole year I had missed out on the beautiful panorama of nighttime stars that God provided. It was magnificent and reminded me of what I had been missing living in all the artificial light pollution. In our Christian lives we need God’s true light to block out the pollution that is around us so we can see the real beauty that he wants to provide in our lives.
Pathway has had an individual who has done this for more than 50 years and his name is Pastor Dr. Gene Carlson (retired). I hear comments regularly from people who mention something he stated that cleared up a passage of Scripture for them. Recently, I heard someone say that Pastor Gene had met with him every weekend when he came home from college and helped him deal with situations that came up on the college campus. Many adults and youth have been mentored by him, including our own Lead Pastor, Dr. Carter. I personally have benefited from being in study groups with him. He has truly been a light to the world in Wichita.
APPLY:
Who are those individuals who have been a Godly beacon of light to blot out the pollution of our world for you? Think how your Christian walk can be a beacon of light for others.
The Life Application Bible has a good commentary on what we need to consider when we want to be a beacon of light. “Can you hide a city that is sitting on top of a hill? Its light at night can be seen for miles. If we live for Jesus, we will glow like lights, shining brightly with his love. Many who are living in spiritual darkness will be attracted by our light and want to step into it. Jesus’ light always reveals truth. We hide our light by (1) being quiet when we should speak, (2) going along with the crowd, (3) denying God’s truth, (4) letting sin dim our light, (5) not explaining our light to others, or (6) ignoring the needs of others. Be a beacon of truth—don’t shut your light off from the rest of the world.”
CLOSING PRAYER:
Lord Jesus, help me be a beacon of light for you. In your name, Amen.