Light-bearers

Today's post is taken from an email to a friend in September 2009. It was written after the sharing of the journal entry of 2006, which is in the previous post. May it be a blessing to you today, for the message is timeless...We are witnesses to His Light and called to live a life worthy of His Name......

September 2009

The Lord has been teaching me a lot about light and allowing His light to shine through us, amidst criticism and scrutiny by on-lookers. It is hard to keep one's eyes on Jesus in the midst of trials and hardship and to rise above it, but we do it by knowing that the Lord has a higher purpose that we can't yet see.

The other day after writing that little tidbit on being like those diamonds in the sea of humanity, reflecting the light of Jesus to those who can't see Him, I was led to 2nd Corinthians chapter 4. The Lord was leading me to open a little pamphlet which was stuck in my Bible as a marker. It is a daily Bible reading guide given to me at church. Since I have studied the entire Bible, I allow the Lord to lead me into what He would want me to read on any given day. I opened the pamphlet up and felt the Lord telling me to read the portion for that day, 2nd Corinthians chapter 4. The chapter heading being, "The Light of Christ's Gospel". The Lord continues to speak about "light" and allowing that light to shine in and through us, no matter what is going on in our lives. I have a friend who says, “Who would want this Christian life after looking at the mess of our lives?" The Lord is showing me more and more that it is despite our lives that they see Him, it is above our lives they see Him, for it is by this Light that shines in and through us that they see Him. We don't want people to see our lives and desire them; we want them to see His Life and to desire Him!

"Therefore, since we have this ministry, as we have received mercy, we do not lose heart..." 2 Cor. 4:1

We have His mercy to go on to be these light-bearers, He speaks to the consciences of believers and unbelievers alike through this light shining in and through us. It is very hard to withstand the rejection of people, who do not believe, but we can understand better when we understand vs. 4, "whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them." Who is the god of this age? The very enemy of our souls who deceives. They don't want to believe, lest this light shine on them, they don't want to see. They have been deceived, for this very light is what brings life.  It is sad, but true, that even believers sometimes don't want to see this light. It shines on the hidden things of shame, or exposes craftiness, or the deceitful handling of the Word of God. There are those who use the Word of God in such a way, for proving their own points for their own agendas.  We don't preach ourselves, but we preach Jesus, pouring ourselves out for Him and for His sake. "For it is God who commanded light to shine out of darkness, who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ."

Our total reliance is on the Lord and most can't understand that. "But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us. We are hard-pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed~ always carrying about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body." We are being poured out for the many for the sake of Jesus. "So then death is

working in us, but life in you."  We have the knowledge that the Lord will raise us up and what greater purpose in all of this hardship, then to bring others who have witnessed this light and been transformed by it with us!

"Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day." No matter what is happening outwardly, what the Lord is doing in unseen places overshadows it all. We need to keep our focus on Him and not allow these outward things to discourage us from being light-bearers for Him, or from moving ahead confident in Him. "For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal."

Therefore, my friends, press on toward the goal.....