Let Your Light Sign Matthew 5:16
Today we are going to kick-off this year’s stewardship renewal with the theme “Today more than ever, let your light shine!” It used to be that whenever I heard the word “stewardship,” I thought of giving money to meet a budget. But through study and prayer, I have come to understand that stewardship means so very much more. The Personal Guide you received this week encourages us to “let our light shine.”
· Love is lifting others up.
· Joy comes to those who give it away.
· Peace comes through putting God first.
· Patience greatly improves outcomes.
· Kindness is the key to opening hearts.
· Goodness is the light in us.
· Faithfulness is shinning – even in the rain.
There can be no denying that this is something that each and everyone of us are called to do day in and day out – let the light of Christ shine through everything that we do and say, in all circumstances.
Let me turn to the brochure that you received in the mail or perhaps when you arrived this morning. Galatians 5:22 provides us a scriptural basis for growth.
The fruit of the spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self control.
For each day of the week, your brochure lists one of these seven virtues, a biblical passage and a suggested action for that day. I don’t know about you, but it is helpful for me to have some kind of reminder in front of me each day. My best intentions can evaporate like the morning mist without some sort of memory aid. I believe that this brochure is a wonderful tool for keeping our higher goals in mind by practicing such virtues through our daily actions.
I think we should all put this (brochure) up some place we will see it every morning, read it, and apply the suggested action for the day. Early in my sobriety, I wrote a personal message on my bathroom mirror. In my case I wrote the words “You’re looking at your problem” You can come up with some of your own ideas that best reflect you.
The idea is to keep God and our higher aspirations
on our minds throughout the day. Practicing Christian virtues and values is how we
shine.
· When we show love toward others, we find joy.
· When we turn to God in prayer, we find peace.
· When we look for opportunities to practice patience and kindness, we find compassion for ourselves and others.
The fruit of the spirit comes not necessarily by what we say,
but by being fruitful vines every day.
When we come together as we are now, we shine brightly because we are of one mind and one spirit, with one goal; to renew our spirits by letting Christ’s Light illuminate us.
I am delighted to see so many of you wearing Matt 5:16 labels
Let me read Matther 5, starting at verse 14 ---
14You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. 15Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to
everyone in the house. 16In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.
If we turn to Ephiasians 5:8 tells us to “live as children of light.” We also know from the Gospel of John that Jesus is the light of the world, and that if we follow Him, we shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.
That is why we are saying “Today, more than ever, let your light shine!”
There is growing turmoil in this world, and there will be people we meet tomorrow
that are feeling overwhelmed by events in daily life. There may be people that we meet today that are feeling overwhelmed by daily events. The light we reflect may be just what they are looking for.
Our job is to simply reflect the Light of Faith in our thoughts and actions toward everyone God puts in our lives.
Also, we are to not let our light shine just in our own little circle of family and friends.
Remember too what Jesus said in Matt 5:44. Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you. In so doing, we shine until every place of darkness is either brought to the light or is exposed for what it is.
Let’s wrap it up this morning with these words from John 3:19-21: 19“Light has come
into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. 20Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that
his deeds will be exposed. 21But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what he has done has been done through God."
So “letting our lights’ shine” does not mean we are trying to win others’ approval or praise, or to look good or “make an impression.” Shining simply means we live with an outlook and way of life that values truth, love, peace, goodness and faithfulness, to name just a few. Shining does not value guilt, judgment, neglect, blame, and intolerance. So remember that darkness cannot survive in the presence of light.
So let us now ask God to help us shine today and
tomorrow, more than ever before.
