January 25, 2008

 

For at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light.

 

--Ephesians 5:8

 

Any light is dependent on its source for power. And the same is true for you and me as followers of Christ. The more dependent we are on Jesus… the one and only true source of our power… the more we’ll be able to be bright and shining lights for Him.

 

So let me ask you, how plugged into that source of power are you? The apostle Paul tells us in Ephesians 5:18, “Do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit.” What Paul is telling us here is that we shouldn’t be filled to excess with anything in our lives except the Lord Jesus Christ.

 

What are you filled to excess with today? Or to put it another way, who… or what… do you worship? It could be that your career ambitions take center stage in your life. Or maybe being well-liked is your god. It could be that relationships… or the search for a relationship… is really where all your attention and energy are focused.

 

Our world is filled with darkness, and there are people all around us who are living in that darkness. That’s why it’s so important that, as a follower of Christ, you stay plugged into Him so that you can “let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven,” as the Scripture says in Matthew 5:16.

 

As a believer, Jesus, the light of the world, lives in you. So let your light shine! Show and tell people about the hope you have in Christ.

 

The more dependent you are on Jesus, the more you’ll be a bright and shining light for Him.