Matthew 5:14-16
“You
are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor
do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives
light to all in the house. In the same way, let your
light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory
to your Father who is in heaven.”
First,
let us look into the credentials of the one who spoke the words stated above,
who was he? It was Jesus the Christ, the
Messiah, the one the apostle John called the Word, and John goes on to tell us
that the Word was with God in the beginning.
But John does not stop with that, he goes on to state: “All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing
made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men.” My hearts desire is that all who read this
will come to the realization that Jesus tells the truth, but only the Holy
Spirit can bring a person to that understanding, then He will guide you into
all truth, as you submit to His leadership.
It is important to grasp that Jesus came to bring us light, and the
understanding of grace and truth, as found in John 1:14. Grace without truth leads us to no need of
redemption, and truth without grace will bring us to being judgmental and
without love for the things God loves.
So
Jesus is telling each of us that; “You
are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor
do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives
light to all in the house.” For many
years my light was not on a stand, I had basket faith and only with those who
were followers of Christ did I remove the basket. I bought into the deceptive channel, that I
often refer to as Channel One, and that channel says it is alright to attend
church, but do not mix talking about Jesus in your business life, for it will
cost you, and it may. Do not tell your
neighbors, they will not want anything to do with you, and many more examples that
were lies to keep my light under the basket.
You may also have bought into Channel One, but remember it is deception,
and Channel Two is a much softer voice of the Holy Spirit telling you to let
Jesus do it all for you.
Many
of us can look back to a time in our history of strong families, where the dad
was not only the provider, but also the leader or the one who guided us in the
truth found in the Bible. It was a time
where there seemed to be light in the schools, in the business community, and
in the homes of many. We knew what
darkness was, but then something happen very slowly, as we allowed the desire
for better stuff to push the mother out of the home into the workplace, and
many a child was left to raise themselves.
We also saw divorce increase and many a single mother taking on the task
of provider and teacher, and the child left without the authority of and the
love of a dad.
So
we have somewhat of an advantage over those who were not exposed to that
history, this present darkness where government is stepping into the role of
provider and adviser. Many of the young people have not been exposed to light,
and Christians with basket faith are like salt that is no longer good for
anything.
If
you have been deceived by that smooth voice of Channel One, it sounds much like
your voice, but praise God, He loves you an is also speaking on Channel Two
telling you that if you will confess to the truth, you have been deceived by
that old thief the devil, the Father will forgive and equip you with the
boldness to be light in this present darkness.
The prophet Isaiah had this to say about Jesus; “The people who walked in darkness have seen a
great light; those who dwelt in a
land of deep darkness, on them has light shined.” You and I
who are in Christ are to be an extension of His ministry, carrying His light
into your home, your neighborhood, and the workplace, for this is the command
from your Creator: “In the same way, let your light shine before
others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who
is in heaven.”
From
the Back Porch,
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