The Global Illumination Process
May 9, 2004
Dear Friends,
Our thought for this week is taken from Matthew 5:14-16 which reads: “Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.”
The visual image that the Lord lays before us here is a person taking an oil lamp (candle is a bad translation. They didn’t have wax candles back then) and putting it under a wooden basket. Who would do such a thing? It is counterproductive to the very reason for lighting a light in the first place. Our discipleship is the same. Being a disciple of Christ literally means we are a follower or by implication an imitator of Jesus. In other words, to say one is a follower of Jesus and not do what he did is self-defeating. It has been said “There can be no such thing as secret discipleship, for either the secrecy destroys the discipleship, or the discipleship destroys the secrecy.”
Remember what a tremendous compliment is being paid to us here. We — you and I — are the light of the world. Imagine that! Because we are imitators of Jesus who was the light of the world, we share in the global illumination process. Frankly, a lot of the time I don’t feel that way, but it sure it encouraging to know that Jesus feels that way about me.
So let’s get down to brass tacks, as they say. How do we shine those lights? Probably one of the first steps in the process is to analyze our talents. There are so many incredibly talented people in the body of Christ. Some people have these talents but never seem to make the connection that these abilities can be used for Christ. They use their talents in their jobs, in their hobbies and in their families, but not for Christ. For example, there is a brother I know who has extraordinary interpersonal skills. Everybody likes him. He speaks well, has natural leadership abilities and can make a good argument for his case whenever he likes. As you might guess, he has chosen a career in sales and is very successful. Why not use those skills to share the Good News concerning the Kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ? Why not use those God-given talents to “sell” something that can be bought “without money and without price?”
There is another person I know who is a writer/editor by trade. He is very skillful with organizing his thoughts and presenting them in a very readable manner. To my knowledge, he has never written one article on God’s truth for publication to shine his light before men. This is not said to be critical of this brother. It is a compliment. He has a true gift which is easily recognizable. Now the trick is to get that light from under that bushel and in the Lord’s service.
Shining our light doesn’t have to be complicated. One young mother of three is an inspiration when it comes to light shining. Her talent is getting people to come to Bible class. She has a weekly Bible class in her home which she has someone else teach. Her job in addition to being a hostess is to get people to attend. She tells her neighbors. She tells her family. She tells people she meets casually in social situations. It is who she is. It is just how her light naturally shines.
Here is your assignment for the week. I want you to encourage someone to join in the global illumination process who appears to have money invested in the bushel business. In as nice a way as you can do it, I want you to compliment someone you know who has amazing God-given talents by suggesting how they can use that talent for Christ. It can be as simple as saying “You know, I have always admired how good of a ____________ you are. You are really blessed with that ability. Have you ever considered using that for Christ by __________________?” After you say that, just be quiet and let them speak. If they are the least bit interested, they will take it from there.
Have a great week!
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