Greetings Brethren,
“You are the light of the world—like a city on a
hilltop that cannot be hidden. No one lights a lamp
and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it
gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way,
let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father (Matthew 5:14-16).
We
hear a lot of messages these days about the gloom and doom of the “last days”.
Everyday the media gives us a snapshot of violence and chaos from around the
world. The majority of conversations I pick up on or am included in revolve
around a dark agenda to swallow up innocent lives to the point where the
conversations alone are doing more damage to the soul than the actual events
discussed.
There
is an agenda to spark and perpetuate fear in our society(s); this is nothing
new. I write to you to encourage you not to let fear dominate your walk of
faith or your witness to others around you. Do not let negative thoughts,
conversations, or news events guide your movements. Specifically, do not get
frightened and hide your light under a basket!
You
are the light of the world! Take the opportunity provided you to pray for and
with people who are being affected by the world’s gloomy condition! In a clip
about the bombings in Boston I saw people kneeling in prayer for others on the
scene who were confused and terrified. In a presentation last week I saw a
picture of a man praying with children while guerrilla fighters loomed overhead
with an assault rifles. The darker the moment became the lighter the presence
of Christ manifested. I heard testimony this week how the faith of one man
changed the lives of the majority of households living on his city block; God’s
name was being praised!
You
are the light of the world. Let your light shine for your family, for your
friends, and for your neighbors. The world is trying hard to infect them with
fear and ultimate defeat but Christ is working through you to show them the
light of hope and glory that will bring a chorus of shouts of praise to God, your
heavenly Father!
In Christ,
Pastor, Jim
