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Topic: light (05/24/04)
TITLE: Some thoughts on the moon... By Dave Wagner 05/25/04 |
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The moon is a dead rock, floating lifeless through space. It glows at night because it reflects sunlight. We see a big, glowing full moon at night; it immediately draws our attention, because it is surrounded by such darkness, much like a match that is struck in a dark room. Often, the moon is up during the daylight hours, but we don't notice, because we can see just fine. Light is everywhere!
Most of the time, the moon is not full…it has the earths' shadow covering at least some portion of it. You could say that the moon reflects light at a rate that is inversely proportional to the amount of the earth that is in the way. In other words, the more the world is in the way, the less sunlight the moon reflects.
As Christians, there are some similarities between the moon and us. Because we are human, and fallen, we are, in and of ourselves, dead dust, lifeless, floating through this life. We can, however, get into a position where we can reflect Sonlight. When we are full of His light, we can shine bright, giving light and a level of comfort, dependability and direction in dark places and times. We are at our best in dark times, actually. During the “daylight” hours, we don't draw much attention.
Most of the time, (unfortunately) we are not fully reflecting the Sonlight. The world gets in the way, to some extent, most of the time. It casts its shadow across our life, obstructing the reflected light. You could say that as Christians we reflect light at a rate that is inversely proportional to the amount of the world that is in the way. In other words, the more worldly we are, the less Light we reflect.
To shine brightly for the King in this life, you might want to focus your attention on your choices. Everything you do stems from a choice of some kind, either conscious or subconscious. Begin to evaluate your behavior with the Lord, and discern what is motivating your choices. This can actually be quite entertaining, if you can successfully detach yourself from yourself for a moment, step back in prayer and discuss with Jesus what you see when you look at yourself. He will show you amazing things.
This process of evaluation will accomplish two things: it will strengthen the personal relationship you have with your King, and it will give Him the access to your life that He needs to recreate you in His image. These are the goals of the gospel to begin with. You will grow, your behavior will change, and the world around you will see it, and believe.
Matthew 5:16 In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.