Don't OUTSHINE...Just SHINE!

Today's devotional comes from a statement and instruction that Jesus gave his disciples in Matthew 5:14-16, "You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven."

As I was pondering this passage of scripture, I began thinking about all the different types of lights, including their wattage and their designation🌞.

There are 40 watt bulbs, 60 watt bulbs, 100 watt bulbs, fluorescent lighting, halogen lighting, and LED lighting. There are chandeliers, lamps, lighthouses, night lights, security lights, and even stadium lights.

Over the next few weeks I will be blogging about lights in general and how we can apply it to our daily lives as we shine the love of Jesus in the midst of the surrounding darkness. The one that I want to focus on today is the street light🚦.

There are three colors of light, RED for stop (except in New Mexico) LOL😄, YELLOW for yield, and GREEN for go.

Each light has a designated time that they "shine" to allow for the flow of traffic and bring order to the traffic. Neither tries to "outshine" the other. When it is time for the YELLOW light the GREEN light fades, and when it is time for the RED light, the YELLOW fades so that the designated light not only stands out but brings the appropriate attention for the appropriate action.

God brings the same order to how we "shine" together as a church body. We all are designed by God for a specific and special purpose with the overall mission for all of us to "shine". And if we realize and recognize how we are designed to shine, than those in chaos and darkness will not only see the good God that is working through us but give glory to the God that will lead them out of their darkness into the LIGHT⭐!

The stars in the sky don't draw attention to themselves individually but shine together so that you will see the beauty of the heavens universally.

Philippians 2:14-15,

For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him.

Do everything without complaining and arguing, so that no one can criticize you. Live clean, innocent lives as children of God, shining like the stars in a world full of crooked and perverse people.

Just SHINE for Jesus in the darkness so that He can OUTSHINE the darkness through you😎.