Get the Word out!

The design we’re featuring this week is another one of our Motee collection. With it being summertime, we thought it would be a great fit. The shine design comes from the passage in Matthew 5. Matthew 5-7 is what is commonly called the Sermon on the Mount. In it, Jesus gives many encouragements and admonitions. In the beginning of the sermon, Jesus says that His followers are the light of the world:

  “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden; 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. “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.  (Matt. 5:14-16)

As Christians, we are to be different than everyone else. We are to be different to the point that people notice that difference. I’m not talking about some kind of feeling they get when they are around us, like they sense something different in us. I’m not saying that this can’t happen, but Jesus was talking about being different in the way we live. We are to act, talk, and think differently than the world. We are to have something about us that speaks of integrity, honor, justice, love, mercy, grace, and righteousness. We are to be like Jesus.

Sadly, not only are people that claim to be Christians not letting their light shine they are snuffing it out. They are living, thinking, and acting like the world. All the while, they fool themselves into thinking that no one notices. They think that the sins that they allow to continue are things that are just part of life. They deceive themselves into thinking that God will just overlook their sins, even though they are supposed to know what God has said about sin through scripture. Understand that I’m not talking about people falling into sin. I’m talking about the “Christians” who jump headfirst into sin, completely ignoring and abandoning the Lord who has died to save them. I can’t count how many people talk about wanting our country to change, and yet, most of them are the very people who need to change! If the body of Christ were to start being obedient to God’s Word, then much of what is going on in our country would stop. The Israelites were the same way. They weren’t punished because of the sins of the heathen nations around them. They were punished because of their own disobedience to God. As long as there are people preaching the truth of the gospel, there is hope for our nation.

If you are a Christian, I am going to challenge you. If your life isn’t being lived the way that it needs to be, then repent of your sin and start living right. Then, help others to do the same. It’s summertime and there are thousands of people outside all the time. They all need to hear the truth of the gospel. Those who don’t believe need to hear it so that they will be saved from eternal hell. Those who do believe need to hear it to be encouraged and uplifted. We don’t know how much time they have left, so we need to reach them now. This can be done if we let our light shine!