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Am I A Beacon?
Am I a Beacon?
“This little light of mine.” A children’s song; but not a children’s message. We sing many songs that teach the same message, but perhaps not as simply and, therefore, not as pointedly. “This little light of mine, I’m gonna let it shine.” “Hide it under a bushel? NO! I’m gonna let it shine.” “Won’t let Satan blow it out. I’m gonna let it shine.” “All around the neighborhood, I’m gonna let it shine.” “Let it shine ‘til Jesus comes; I’m gonna let it shine.” I can sing those words easily, but am I really letting it shine?
In Philippians 2:14-16, Paul wrote:
Do all things without grumbling or questioning, that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lightsin the world, holding fast to the word of life, so that in the day of Christ I may be proud that I did not run in vain or labor in vain.
Like our early brethren, we are in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation. God expects us to shine as lights. God expects us to be the twinkling stars that dance in the vast expanse of inky black darkness. As sailors once charted their course to safe harbor by using the stars as beacons in the dark nights, we need to live in such a way that others can chart their course to heaven’s harbor by following our light.
We understand, however, that we are not the true light. The true light is Jesus Christ. We are not beacons when we shine ourselves for others to see. Rather, we are beacons when we reflect the light of Jesus to the world by walking in Christ’s Word so others can follow us to heaven.
This is easy to talk about in theory, but what about in actual practice? What about in our day-to-day living? What about in our moment-by-moment choices? How can we be sure that we are actually living as beacons for Christ, letting our lights shine consistently? Below are 10 questions you can ask to determine the power of your beacon with each choice you make.
- Am I doing this in the name of the Lord?A question of authority (Colossians 3:17).
- Am I surrendering to God?A question of Lordship (Luke 6:46).
- Am I glorifying God?A question of goals (Matthew 5:16).
- Am I sowing to the flesh or the spirit?A question of guidance (Galatians 5:16-25; 6:7-8).
- Am I providing for the lusts of the flesh?A question of honesty (Romans 13:14).
- Am I professing godliness?A question of honor (I Timothy 4:7-8).
- Am I set apart for holiness?A question of usefulness (I Thessalonians 4:1-8; II Timothy 2:20-22).
- Am I hungering for righteousness?A question of passion (Matthew 5:6).
- Am I cheerful about it?A question of attitude (Philippians 2:14).
- Am I standing out?A question of commitment (Romans 12:2; I Peter 4:4).
I cannot answer these questions for you. You cannot answer them for me. With God’s Word in hand, we each must examine our own choices, actions, and lives. I’ve got a little light, am I gonna let it shine? What about you?
--Edwin L. Crozier
- april_3_2011-Am_I_A_Beacon.pdf (0.00 B)
