Our subject today is one that kicks me in the teeth. Perhaps you may feel the same.

If we are not a child of God, we certainly fall short of His glory, but what about those of us who are a child of God? Can we boast? No we cannot. We still fall short of His glory, but in His grace, His only begotten Son lifts us up in HIS glory to the Father. Thank God, when the Father looks at me, Jesus is standing in the gap. It has often been said, that we Christians are just saved sinners. Well, that is true. We still sin, and will continue to do so while in this world. It will be unimaginably fantastic to be with the Lord in Heaven and never have even a thought of sin, let alone an action.

As a Christian I am supposed to let my light shine before others.

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

My light has been more like a candle placed outside in the weather trying to dodge the raindrops in order to keep burning. How about you?

The Son of God is like the sun in the sky that sheds light upon our earth’s moon. Guess who the moon represents? That’s right. As the moon reflects the light of the sun on a dark night, we are to reflect the light that comes from the Son in a dark world. Do we reflect the Son’s light in the darkness of the world around us?

Sometimes I imagine God looking down upon the earth, and when doing so I visualize His seeing various lights dotted here and there. Those lights are His children reflecting the light from the Son. In the church age preceding ours, the Philadelphian church age, there were many lights, but now there are few. The age of the Laodicea church doesn’t provide much light for those in darkness, but I am reminded of:

“And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended [overcame] it not.” (John 1:5)

Thankfully, the hope of the world does not rest upon the dimness of the Laodicean church folk. The source of true Light is the Creator, Jesus the Christ.

“Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.” (John 8:12)

When I read that verse, I am assured that as dark as the world is becoming, those who will, may still come to the Light and not walk in darkness. Those who don’t know Him as their personal Savior may know Him, because He is still shining the Light of Truth through the thick darkness of sin. We who are His don’t have to be tripped up by the false teachings of man, because we have the Light of the world to guide our path.

“Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.” (Psalms 119:105)

Are we, as a Christian, following Him? That is the only way to avoid walking in darkness. Many who are Christian, or claim to be, are not following Him in these last days. These times we live in are replete with temptations that we as Christians must face every day. I think the greatest of temptations for Christians in our country today would be complacency and laziness. Generally speaking, we have much materially, and have become too comfortable.

Could it be that we may taste the bitter herb of trials before our Lord returns for His Church? There is no doubt in my mind that Jesus will come for His Church prior to the beginning of the Tribulation, but how much worse will the world become first?

The Son of God is the light of the world, but He always works through His own to tell others of that Light. As the moon reflects the light of the sun, we should be reflecting the Light of the Son of God. Are we? I know this. Jesus wants all who will, to come to the Light. Does He have to prod His own first in order to reflect His Light to others that they may come to Him? Are we so comfortable in our complacency that He may need to shake our lives up a little to get us to shine for Him? I recall sometimes having to shake the flashlight because the batteries are low. Are our batteries low, and therefore need a good shaking to rouse us?

“Six days shall work be done, but on the seventh day there shall be to you an holy day, a sabbath of rest to the LORD: whosoever doeth work therein shall be put to death.” (Exodus 35:2)

As far as our work to be done upon earth, many of us act as if the Sabbath of rest is here and there is no need to work. Sorry, but the seventh day of rest has not yet arrived. I personally believe we are in the sixth day, but whether it is the first, second, third, fourth, fifth or sixth day, there is still work to be done. The seventh day of rest will be when we are with Him in Glory. In the meantime our lights are to be kept burning to be a lighthouse to others. It is no wonder that many souls are crashing into the rocky shores of life and being dragged down to the murky depths of sin. Many of the lighthouses are not providing a warning and showing the way to safety.

Every vile act of man is being perpetrated from the highest office in this land to the lowest of the low. Darkness is filling our land like a cancer eating away on a sick body. The warning of the Apostle Peter is being ignored.

“Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:” (1 Peter 5:8)

People are dying daily and going to hell because there was no light to direct them in the harbor. Our children are being attacked by the wiles of Satan and being led into his clutches by his lies. Churches are being overrun by the world’s lifestyle, instead of taking the message of life in Jesus Christ to the world. Christians are not being strengthened by the teaching of the Word because of the wolves in the pulpits. Christians are not growing due to simple spiritual laziness. Most in the churches today don’t even know the One who died and rose again for the Church, and is returning soon for His true Church.

It is imperative that our light shine in this dark world so we may reflect the Light of Jesus, for His coming is near.

Grant Phillips

grantphillips@windstream.net

My articles are posted at “Pre-Rapture Commentary” http://grant-phillips.blogspot.com and many are also posted at “Rapture Ready” http://www.raptureready.com/featured/phillips/phillips.html