Shining Brightly The Best of My Love

Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven. Matthew 5:16 (NKJV)

I don't know what your schedule is like - but I can tell you I tend to use every hour of the day. I'm not sure if it is just because I have a lot of energy, or if I put too much on my plate.  It may just be a byproduct of the environment I have been raised in here in Southern California.

What I do know is, I need to guard myself against stuffing my day too full.  As much as I would like to use every hour for something good, I need to be careful.  First of all, as a husband, I need to remember my wife is the first and most important ministry God has given me.  All too often, she can end up with the short end of the stick - only getting what is left at the end of a long hard day.

Another thing I must guard myself against when getting too busy is I can tend to organize and schedule God right out of my daily life. 
Now this might sound like a strange statement for a pastor who is usually busy doing ministry, but in actuality it isn't.  You see there is a difference between doing ministry work and just putting aside some time to spend with the Lord.  

There is something very special, and uniquely different happening when I take time to spend with God.  It happens when I study the Word, and I meditate upon the things I have read - asking myself, "What does this mean to my life?"   It's when I take time to pray (Speak) to God - interceding for the needs of others.  It's when I am willing to take time to shut down my phone, or step away from my computer and simply ask God to speak to my hearts, and reveal anything I need to lay down.   

In the Book of Exodus we see the story of Moses coming into the presence of God and spending time with Him.  At this same time, the people of Israel were at the base of the mountain looking to build and worship false gods.  We can see the impact upon Moses coming into the presence of the Almighty, as his face shone bright with the light of God when he descended from the mountain.  

So he was there with the LORD forty days and forty nights; he neither ate bread nor drank water. And He wrote on the tablets the words of the covenant, the Ten Commandments. Now it was so, when Moses came down from Mount Sinai (and the two tablets of the Testimony were in Moses' hand when he came down from the mountain), that Moses did not know that the skin of his face shone while he talked with Him.Exodus 34:28-29 (NKJV)

We don't have to be on a mountain with God for forty-days and forty-nights to shine bright - all we have to do is spend time with Him each and every day throughout the day.  It can be in the morning before your day gets going, or at lunch when you are breaking bread.  It can be in the afternoon beneath a tree, or tucked away in your favorite getaway spot - it just doesn't matter.  What matters is taking the time to spend some time with the one who gave you all your time. 

When we spend time in the presence of God, we, like Moses, will be shining brightly before all who are in our presence.  They will see the light of God in us and through us, and it will impact their life as well.  When this happens, people will be drawn to want to know God.  This is why Jesus told us, "Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven."

Hey Christian, I want to encourage you today to guard your time carefully.  Serving others is a true sign of ones regeneration and of God's agape love flowing through you.  Don't give the best of your love to anyone, or anything ahead of God.  There is no person, pleasure, or possession worthy of this priority.  He will redeem your time spent with Him and you will be blessed beyond measure.  And so will the ones you love.  

STUDY QUESTION: According to Matthew 5:16, what did Jesus tell us to do, and for what reason?

PERSONAL INVENTORY: Are you spending time with God each and every day?  Is there light shining through you to others?  Are you glorifying God in your actions?

APPLICATION:  Seek the Lord each and every day.  Find a time and make a point of talking to Him.  Ask Him to fellowship with You and learn how to listen to what He is speaking to your heart.