Tag: light

A Beacon of Light

Published on by KendallLeave a comment

“If you were accused of being a Christian, would there be enough evidence to convict you?”

As we go through life, we are constantly being watched and judged. People will develop an opinion about you and you will gain a reputation whether you want one or not. It takes nothing to gain a reputation but it takes everything to gain a good one. Your life is being watched and reviewed by the world and it’s your job to make the message it sends a good one. There is a saying that goes like this, “Live your life in such a way that if someone were to speak badly about you, nobody would believe it.” Our lives are a light and beacon to those around us and we want to always be just that, a light, and not a dark cloud. The way that we live our life, determined by both our words and actions, sets the message that we project outwards onto the world.

We were not given a chance at life to merely live for ourselves. The intention behind our day-to-day activities is to bring glory and honor to the Kingdom of God. “Don’t shine so that others can see you. Shine so that through you, others can see Him.” Each and every day we are faced with situations and chances that enable us to do just that. The spotlight that we shine out should not be pointed back at us, but on our Heavenly Father and in all ways we should turn the glory and praise back to Him. If you do this and focus on doing everything in your power to live a life in this way, light and goodness will shine out of you for all to see. It is then that you stop living for yourself and your earthly ambitions and desires, but become eternally driven. This drive is like a filter. When you are wholeheartedly focused on the King, unearthly pleasures and habits are broken and become insignificant as we aspire to be more like our Savior. The world will see the light you’re emitting and wonder where it came from. This beauty and goodness can do more to lead people to the Father than a thousand words could ever do.

“You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden.15 Neither 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. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in Heaven.” -Matthew 5:14-16

Our goal as Christians is to be Christ-like in everything and all that we do. Though we will never be perfect as He is, we can try our hardest to obey our Father and live a life pleasing to Him- repenting whenever we fall short. God knows that we’re not perfect and that we as humans will always sin, that’s why He sent Jesus to save us. He doesn’t expect perfection, but He does desire and hope for our effort and strides towards it. Our life should show this effort in all ways. You cannot just “talk the talk” and expect your life to change and be purified. We must aspire to be purified in both our actions and words so that we can in all ways be Christ-like and bring glory to our Father. You may be the only Jesus someone ever comes across, meaning that you may be the only glimpse of Christianity and God’s love that some people will ever see. Your life could turn people to Jesus every day based on the way you live it. Make sure you are representing God in a way that is true and good and full of the admiration and glory that He is so deserving of. Be a beacon of light and faith, illuminating the seemingly ever-present darkness that tries to fill this world and show it the power that is of a Heavenly light.

Yes, we are judged in life and it is ever so important to witness to others, but there is a flip side. Ultimately, we live before an audience of One. While we should aim to lead a Christ-like life and point people to God, we should never solely live for others and their approval. At the end of the day, we answer to and are judged by the Heavenly King and we can never forget that. While our earthly reputation means a lot regarding our success in shining The Father’s light, we do not need to live our lives fully focused on pleasing others. There is a huge difference between living for the impacting and influencing of others and simply living for the approval and pleasing of others. We should never aim to please this earth, but to please the Father above all. People will always judge you and it can be distressing to know that we are constantly being eyed and sized up, but we were not put on this Earth to meet its standards and expectations- our standards are sent from above. When we reach the end of our life, we will not be standing in front of those who judged us in this life, but we will stand before The Judge. We will not be surrounded by a cloud of our Earthly reputation and what people thought of us, but we will be surrounded by the truth of our actions and the life that God witnessed.

Reputation and how the world sees you is like a double-sided coin. On one hand, we must always be sure that we’re living a life and setting a reputation about ourselves that is full of light and brings glory to God. While at times it is harder to do the Godly thing, it is always worth it. Not only will our lives be immensely better and full of goodness, but unending glory will be given to our Father. If you live in such a way, people can say whatever they want about you behind your back, but your true light and personality will shine so brightly that only the truth will prevail. If someone spoke ill about you, not a soul would believe it for they see the incredible light that you are always emitting. But while this is a beautiful thing, and having a light filled reputation is great, we cannot get too consumed with the world’s perception of us. God is the only one to whom we answer at the end of the day and His opinion of us is worth infinitely more than that of the world.

At the end of the day, what is our life saying? Are we living for the betterment and glory of God’s kingdom? Are we seeking to be as Christ-like as we possibly can? And are you living up to all that God has created you to be? Your life is a gift. Never take for granted the chance that you’ve been given. Each and every day God chooses to wake you up to fulfill a purpose and it should always be our goal to embrace this privilege and plan forever and always. Your life is a message… What will it say?

❤

Love y’all and God bless:)

A Heavenly Light

Published on by KendallLeave a comment

“In truth, God is always close to those who genuinely seek after Him. The real problem is that we drift away from Him, lose interest, and leave His presence. So let’s seek Him and receive His grace and help while we recognize that He alone is the one who truly saves.”

Some people treat a relationship with God how they treat a nightlight. When the light is on/when things are going really well in life, they don’t appreciate the light or fully embrace it. They don’t realize how valuable it truly is. When the light burns out, uncertainty and panic arise. Those people who are just living from lightbulb to lightbulb are the ones afraid of the unknown. When you are used to the light, what do you do when it burns out? You become frightened and unsure.  But those who embrace God and a relationship with Him do not fear when the bulb goes out and when it becomes dark, for they know that He is right there and that He always has been and will be by their side. They are the ones that are not afraid of the hard times and trials of life and the ones who do not fear because they know that God, their light, will never leave them nor forsake them.

It’s like the saying, “You never know what you have until it’s gone.” Sometimes you don’t know or realize how well things are truly going or how dependent you are on your Heavenly Father day to day until something goes wrong. When the bulb goes out and life gets hard, you can truly see how dependent you are on that lightbulb, on your Father. Faith isn’t just about holding on tight and growing your relationship with God when things are hard and dark, but rather growing and embracing it at all times, through both the good and bad. God is always there for you through every moment and we need to acknowledge Him and that fact in all times of our lives.

The beautiful thing is that even though we tend to sometimes reject God and move away from Him, He never moves. While you can take a hundred steps away, it only takes one step to get back to Him. God wants us to want and need Him and it breaks His heart when we walk away, but instead of forcing us back to Him, He lets us take the step back. It is our responsibility to initiate a relationship with our Father and once we open ourselves up to that, He closes all gaps and comes to where we are. While we tend to walk away from the light, it’s always right there waiting for us to return. A relationship with God is dependent on our pursuit of Him and a desire for one. He’ll meet you exactly where you are, broken or whole, just call to Him to come.

As you walk through life, think about and ask yourself this… are your fully embracing the Heavenly light?

❤

Love y’all and God bless:)