Let It Shine

I have been going through a devotional recently from Catalyst on YouVersion. It was talking about humans being the image bearer of our Creator. This is one of the greatest qualities that humans have. We bear the image of our Creator. Nothing else in all of creation gets that privilege.

The devotion that I was reading tied two passages from the Bible together in a way that I have never seen. I was interested in how it would play out, and it did not disappoint.

Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness. They will rule the fish of the sea, the birds of the sky, the livestock, all the earth, and the creatures that crawl on the earth.” So God created man in His own image; He created him in the image of God; He created them male and female. (‭Genesis‬ ‭1‬:‭26-27‬ HCSB)

“You are the light of the world. A city situated on a hill cannot be hidden. No one lights a lamp and puts it under a basket, but rather on a lampstand, and it gives light for all who are in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven. (‭Matthew‬ ‭5‬:‭14-16‬ HCSB)

Did you see it?

The image of God is placed upon humans rather than any other part of creation for a purpose. I love purpose. It helps to know the "why" behind the "what." Nothing else in all of creation can reflect and display God like humans can.

This is why Jesus gives this statement in the Sermon on the Mount. He commands us to let the light within us shine clear and bright. Why? Because God deserves all the praise and glory. When we, as His image-bearers, allow our light to shine, that happens. There is nothing good within us naturally because of sin. But when Christ redeems us, He also clears the case for the Image to shine through.

Let us heed Jesus' words today and let our light (Christ in us) shine bright for all to see. Then God will receive the glory and praise that He is due.

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Why All The Rules?

I am willing to bet that every adult can remember a time where this question was at the front of their mind.

"What's the deal with all these rules?

There may even be some teens reading this who are asking this same question. I know that for me there were many times when I was confronted with "the rules" in a situation and didn't like them. They didn't make sense. They seemed stupid. What was the point of all these rules?

I can imagine that the Israelites in the Old Testament thought the same thing about God. They were in slavery for many years before God sent Moses in for the rescue. Now that they were free, God was giving them all of these rules in Exodus - Deuteronomy. It seemed like the list would never end. There was a law for every little thing.

As I stand here in life as an adult and parent, I find myself laying out a lot of rules. I have learned a great lesson about the rules: there is a good reason for most rules. The rules aren't just there for no reason. There is always something behind the rules that have led to that rule.

Many people do not follow after Christ because they see Christianity as nothing more than a list of "do's & don'ts" (with a lot more don'ts than do's). The little child in all of us rises up and asks, "why all the rules?" God gives a hint in Leviticus 19:9-18 where He says five times that these things are given because He is the Lord. The purpose behind all the rules are the protection ultimately of the glory of God.

There is nothing that God is more concerned with than His glory. He has given laws for His people to live by not to keep all the fun out but so that they will bring the most glory to Him. The ways in which Christians live their lives is a reflection on God. If a person claims that Christ has come into their life and changed them, then the way they live reflects who Jesus is and what He is capable of dong in a person's life.

Just as we mature as a person and begin to realize the purpose behind the rules, may we mature as followers of Jesus and see that our obedience to His commands brings Him much glory especially in the eyes of those who are searching for truth and hope.

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Student Life at the Beach Day 3

So today we welcomed a typical beach thunderstorm to camp. Nothing to really worry about. It rained pretty good for a little while then the sun came out with the humidity. It had been so nice, now we have sticky.
Today, we talked about an awesome subject: the glory of God. This was a good night. We heard a message that we need to hear so often: it's not about you. Many of the problems that we see in church come from people not getting what they want. Every thing that takes place on this playground called Earth happens in order to bring glory to God.
I also got to share with the students that came to camp about the future of the student ministry. They seemed to latch on to the idea of "the crossroads."

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