Living happily as God's People - Created to Shine

Devotional Readings: Matthew 5:14 - 16 , Genesis 1:1-6, John 1:1-9, 8:12, 1John 1:1-7

"Those who bring sunshine to the lives of others cannot keep it from themselves."  James M Barrie -- Creator of Peter Pan.

Human Happiness -- sometimes these two worlds and words just do not fit. Being human and Being happy. Two completely separate states of being. Yes, we are all definitely human beings with the full array of human features - A head, Arms, Legs, Feet and so on. We have a heart that beats, a brain that does it's best to think and blood that courses through our arteries and veins to keep us alive. Yes, we are all 24/7 human beings. 

Happiness -- Psychologists say that people need three things to make them happy. First of all they need something to do. Secondly they need something to love. Finally they need something to look forward to. I think Scripture agrees with this. However, to be truly happy and satisfied we must make sure that we are doing the right thing, loving the right thing, and looking forward to the right thing. 

Everyone needs and wants something to do! There are a lot of things that we can do to make us happy, but if there is one thing we fail to do we will never be satisfied!
-I am happy when I go hunting or fishing
-I am happy when I go see a friend or loved one
-I am happy when I go to church and experience a good service
-I am happy when I have fun with my kids
-Fill in the blank for yourself:

"I am Happy when I _________________"

 
-Some people are happy while they are high on life or on drugs, Some are happy when they are feeling low.
-Some people are happy while they are skiing, or snowmobiling, Some are happy reading books or doing puzzles.
-Some people are happy while they are partying. Some people just prefer to be happy alone in their own homes.
-Some people are happy while they are camping. Some are content walking the streets or living under bridges.

-Some people are happiest in the light of day while others are more content walking during the day and at night in the darkness (In Barrow, Alaska the sun sets in mid-November and doesn’t rise above the horizon again until mid January.)

In the very beginning when God created the heavens and the earth, there was only a formless void and darkness covered the face of the deep (Genesis 1:1-2). The very first thing God spoke into existence: "Let there be light". The light was declared 'good' and it was separated from the darkness. The light was called 'day' and the darkness 'night'. And this was the first day (Genesis 1:5). And so life was created in all it's forms -- created that they may all shine.

The Apostle John tells us that Jesus was there in the beginning too. That He was the true light coming into the world (John 1:9). He shone into our darkness, but our darkness did not comprehend Him. John takes Jesus' identity a step further. He tells His disciples - He tells us - that we are also lights in the world. The One who came to shine uses the lanterns which are our lives, that He himself kindled by His great love for us at His resurrection. The light of our redemption was light by His eternal spark. We have a bright and holy purpose: 

• ¹⁴ “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden; ¹⁵ nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. ¹⁶ Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven." Matthew 5:14-16

We often think we are called to shine as 'lights' because the world we struggle to live in is defined by the darkness of crime, war, terror, economic upheaval, rising foreclosures, rising unemployment, long term joblessness, and the list goes on. The longer we sit and meditate on today's newscasts and read local and global headlines in newspapers, receive 'breaking headlines' on IPhones and Twitter and other social media outlets; the more likely we are to believe it is always darkest before the dawn of a sunny day. We are inundated daily with horrific images of a growing and cancerous darkness. Presented with the occasional ray of sunshine and hope - we are painfully slow to believe it.

We are called to the awesome responsibility of being 'shining cities on a hill which cannot be hidden'. However, there is an even higher calling than that. We are to shine as lights because Jesus is the true Light. Our holy calling is to Reflect Him, to Display Him, and to worship Him by being the beacons, the lanterns by which He reveals Himself to others. Radiating Jesus is the highest honor we can give Him and the greatest source of life giving light that we can share with others who are defining their lives by their journey's through the darkness of a secular world. 

Jesus is the Light of the world (John 8:12). This is something that early on in my own faith journey, I found very hard to believe. Even as my sisters preached these words to me so long ago when God, Jesus Christ were the furthest things from my mind, these words held no relevance to me. I was content to walk in the darkness for many years because darkness defined much of my life's circumstances and I my eyes became too accustomed to it. I can now look back in 20/20 hindsight, that I could never have stood in the Light of life because I was too pained up by the darkness. And I had had enough experience with pain to know I did not want anymore when I looked into any kind of bright light. Light is a wonderful and beautiful thing to behold. It is a miraculous healer - once you are bold enough to accept not just it's brightness but also the pain of it when you look at it first thing in your morning. 

Consider your present and consider your future. We will be shining His light and reflecting His glory long after we are done with darkness of this world. It wont be because someone will need convincing; it will simply be because of who He is. Our shining is more for the sake of His eternal glory as it seeks to bring understanding to the present darkness. It shines the light of heaven into a dark and dismal night. It's warmth makes our lanterns burn brighter. 

Do you reflect light or darkness into the world you live in? Do you reflect Jesus? Have you ever been able to put your darkness aside - even for a small period of time - simply to be like Him? There is no greater task. Our primary responsibility to those who walk in darkness in this world, as His servants and His children, is to show His kind of light to others. The Light of His grace. The Light of His love for all, the Light of His mercy and forgiveness, the Light of His salvation. To put on illuminate His kind of works, pray His kind of prayers, tell His kind of stories, and seek His kind of justice. All these things are to permeate everything we do on behalf of the children of His kingdom. 

WHY? Because He is light, and we were created to shine. 1John 1:1-7


Gob Bless