Those Are Some Bright Lights!

Matthew 5:13-16 - "You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men."

"You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. 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. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven."

It was the summer of 1990. I had just finished my junior year of college and I would spend the summer months on five of the Hawaiian Islands on a mission trip for college students. Talk about suffering for Jesus! That summer was a life-giving summer for me. My call to ministry was affirmed in such vivid ways. I fell in love with ministry to students and began to understand the impact of evangelism in ways that I am still trying to comprehend eighteen years later. (We spent the majority of our time on the island of Molokai, and in that summer over 60 kids came to faith in Christ. The island's population was a little more than 5000 people. That means that over 1% of the island came to faith in Christ in an eight week period!)

Whenever I read these verses from the Sermon on the Mount, I think back to that summer. Why? Because, I gave my third sermon ever on this passage. We were in an old run down horse ranch. The locals used this ranch as a Christian camp. From that little camp in Molokai you could see the islands of Maui and Oahu in the distance. Save for the kitchen and bathrooms, there was no electricity at this camp. So, at night, the lights from the islands of Maui and Oahu shone brightly. As I spoke to the children at the camp, I told them about Christ's desire for us to live our lives as bright lights to the world. I told them that we represented God to the world, and that we needed to make God look good. Then I showed them the lights of Maui. There was no mistaking that there was a ton of activity on that nearby island. It could not be hidden. Our lives were not to be hidden either.

What does your life say to others about Christ? Do they see your life and witness your testimony in powerful ways, or is your life like the salt that loses it saltiness and is no longer good for anything? Live your life to glorify God today! When you do, you not only make God look good, you make Jesus glad.

Dear God,

Your teachings in Scripture are so clear. We are to live our lives to glorify You. We are to boldly declare Your name both in action and in words. Help us to live for You in such a way that people are drawn to the Savior. Thank You for being our Savior.

In Jesus' name,

Amen.