Get to Living!!!

2 Corinthians 4: 6-10 - 6 For God, who said, "Let light shine out of darkness," made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ. 7 But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God, and not from us. 8 We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in dispair; 9 persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. 10 We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may be revealed in our body.(NIV)

In our time of great struggles - often of our own creation - it is important to reflect on the importance of what has been taught to us.  One of the saddest things in today's world is to witness the suffering of others.  What compounds that is those that suffer at their own hand. 

Some of those individuals do not know Jesus.  That is part of our commission to facilitate the introduction.  Not to ram God down anyone's throat, all must come to the Father of their own accord.  But rather to simply introduce God to others who may not know him.  There are many ways to do this - we can teach, we can preach, we can badger, we can condemn, etc.  But while some of these can be helpful, ultimately it is not usually any of them that make the first impression for God. 

It is rather how we act in our lives.  The actions that we illustrate can create a spark of curiosity in others.  It is the light that we project.  It is how we respond to the trials and tribulations of this life.  It is how we demonstrate a love and faith for someone that others do not see.

That brings me to the second group of sufferers.  Those are the ones that do know Jesus.  They know that God sent Jesus to take the burden of ALL sin upon himself to facilitate a relationship between man and God.  They've asked Jesus into their heart and asked him to guide their lives.

But something happened.  A bad thing.  You can fill in the blank.  We have all been there.  A break up perhaps?  A lost job? A lost loved one?  Anything can be used as a reason to fall off course.  Romans 3:23 says "for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (NIV).  This is not said in condemnation, but rather as fact.  We have all fallen short - whether we never believed or if we strayed.

The point is that God remains steady.  He remains our rock.  He remains present even when we wander away.  He waits patiently and then he welcomes us back.

We have the opportunity to LIVE in such a manner that it brings glory to God.  Through that living, we are able to show a loving Father who will be there in the time of need for others.  It is by being a light - not a perfect one because only Jesus filled that role - that we can illuminate God's presence to the lost.

Everyone who chooses to come to God must do so of their own accord.  But if you are down now, remember He is still there. 

Go to Him, share your burdens. 

Ask for His help, guidance, and love. 

And once you have it (and you have it the moment you ask, no waiting for credit approval):

Get to Living and share it with someone else.

Blessings to each of you this day.  God loves you.

Pastor Jim