The Light of Glory

Driving north from town at the end of the day not too long ago, I could not help but look at the gorgeous sunset off to my left.  The clouds were in a very unusual, "rough looking" pattern and the glow of the setting sun was shining on them in a beautiful way to bring out the intricate details of their composure.  I had never seen clouds like that before.

After driving a little further, the sun had now set and I glanced back at the clouds.  There was no longer any sunlight on them and the "rough," unusual pattern now just looked ugly and unusual.  The clouds had not changed, the sunlight had.  Without the light, they just looked weird and gloomy.  With the light, they were beautiful and intricate.  Too bad the clouds could not follow the light.

We can be a lot like those clouds.  When we are allowing the light of God to shine on us in what we do in our every day life, he gives us the ability, in some small way, to reflect his glory.  When I am living for myself, when I am not following him or reflecting the light of his love and truth in everyday life, I can just look weird and probably pretty gloomy.  I cannot live the Christian life without the light of Christ and his word.  When I live for his glory and not my own, that light shines.

We live in some very dark times, as I write this, I have just read the reports of terrorist attacks in at least three places world-wide.  We live in changing times, as I write this, the Supreme Court has just made its ruling legalizing same-sex marriage.  For those of us who seek to live following the light of his Word, it can seem like the sun is setting.  It is not, it still shines.  We, unlike those clouds, can follow the light. The question is, will we allow it to shine upon us and thus through us as we have opportunity?  Even in dark times?  Even in changing times?

Jesus put it this way, "I am the light of the world.  Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life."  John 8:12

Where is a place that you will reflect his light today?  How will you do it?

for the journey...

Tim

Note to Northsiders:  I will be gone Sunday, taking my daughter to the airport for her trip to China.  Sunday, July 5, I will be preaching on "How Jesus Defined Marriage."  I appreciate your prayers.

Washing Windows

Recently we had a new glass storm door put in on our back door.  As I looked out of the new, clean glass and then looked at the windows near it, I saw how very dirty my windows were.  I needed to do something about this so I set about to wash our windows on Labor Day.  They looked pretty clean after I got through but since they have dried I have found numerous streaks and spots I missed.  I have gone back to clean them and I still see more!  It has become a little obsession of mine, when I look at a window, I look for spots.  This is very discouraging because I am realizing I can never get them completely clean.

One day this week while I was looking from the inside and seeing more missed spots, streaks and some new things that had blown onto a window, it is like the Lord tapped my shoulder and said, "You cannot get anything completely clean yourself, not your windows, not your life."  As I thought of that it also hit me the purpose of windows is to see out and let light in, not to only look for spots. 

It is that way in my spiritual life as well.  There has to be some sort of settling in my mind that I cannot get myself perfectly clean and never will.  I don't have to live with dirty windows in my spiritual life though because 1 John 1:9 tells me "if I confess my sin, He is faithful and just to forgive my sin and cleanse me from all unrighteousness."  My spiritual life needs to include this "cleaning of windows" but that is not all their is, there is so much more.  There are spiritual windows that are meant to be seen through to things on the other side.  There are spiritual windows that let in light. I can get obsessed with just cleaning my windows and never seeing what is on the other side. That is not how I was meant to live.

This Sunday, we are going to look at "Two Paths to God?"  Can we get so caught up in the rules of righteousness that we never see the One on the other side of our spiritual windows?  Yes, we can and we do.  But if we let Jesus take care of this, we look through those windows and see the One who wants to clean us up and show us great things on the other side.  He also wants to shine in His light.  Let's pray we see things clearly.

for the journey...

Tim