I like quotes . . . memorable quotes . . . quotes that make me think. I like this quote by Neil Anderson, "We are not called to dispel the darkness; we are called to turn on the light." This became more true to me than ever last year at the beginning of summer camp. Our theme was "a call to action," and through that theme, we discussed the responsibility to be a light to the world. As I was contemplating what to speak on this summer, I ran across my notes from my talk last summer. It was good to be reminded of what the Lord showed me at the time.
In this world we need to be a light to the hurting and lost.
Ways of being a light:
1. PRAYER --- Pray continually - 1 Thess 5:17. We need to follow Paul's example and pray for each other - Phil 1:3-6, 9-11. One of Jesus hardest times He prayed - for Himself, His disciples, and all believers.
2. ADDITUDE changes --- Servant-hood and humility (the opposite of the world). Jesus speaks against pride - Matt 23:12. The result of humility - 1 Peter 5:6. Jesus Christ as the prime example - Phil 2:5-8.
3. should alter our ACTIONS --- We need to help others and lift them up (not be self-seeking) - Phil 2:3-4. We need to show love through actions - 1 John 3:18.
4. MENTORING --- We need mentors and we need to become a mentor. Christ as our example/mentor - 1 Cor. 11:1 (Paul follows Christ and we are to follow Paul). Other examples - Paul and Timothy, Jesus and His 12 disciples
5. WITNESSING --- We can witness with more than mere words and/or scripture - we can witness through our attitude, actions, mentoring, etc. We need to show God's love in a practical way.
These five steps should be part of a continuous cycle - if we want to be a light we will pray. Our prayer should lead to attitude changes. When our attitude changes, our actions should alter accordingly. Altered actions lead to more mentoring (especially of younger believers). More mentoring logically causes us to witness more, which in turn requires us to pray more and therefore the cycle begins again.
I want to be a light...
1 comment:
One thing I have learned about lights is that often we put an american spin on a historical eastern concept. As opposed to a flashlight or light switch it is more like an oil lamp which takes a master flame to light it. Today we would use a lighter or a match. Once the original lamp is lit, other lamps are started by its flame and soon the entire house hold it illuminated. Much like the iron sharpens iron analogy we must use the light of the master to cause eachother to be on fire for a single cause. Illumination.
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