Bible Ballistics: BBs  #374    The Cat Food And The Light???

 

We live out in the country and often have varmints arrive in our yard uninvited, partly just because the varmints wander around looking for food, but also because we have a cat! Now the cat doesn’t attract the varmints, but her food does. When the cat food is put out for the cat, she eats from the container throughout the day, but the varmints come when we’re not looking. We don’t send out an invitation to the neighbor’s dogs, or to the skunks, possums or raccoons—but they come any way! Why? Just because the cat food is there! And I am convinced, according to God’s Word, that is the best way to make an impact on the world around us for The Lord Jesus! By putting out cat food? No, by living for Jesus, being there and letting our light shine—The Light of Jesus Christ The Lord IN us!

“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

“I am come a light into the world,

that whosoever believeth on me

should not abide in darkness.” John 12:46

Jesus declared Himself to be The ‘Light of the world’, and here in John’s account Jesus makes it clear that “he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness”! When we come to Jesus in repentance and faith, when we are born again by His Spirit and grace, we clearly “shall have the light of life”! When we receive Jesus, we become a vessel to shine HIS light to the world. Why do we walk in the dark, when we have HIS light within us and without?

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

When we commit ourselves to study The Word of God, we will find the knowledge, wisdom and power to shine His light to a dark and wicked world. Much like the kerosene and oil lamps that we use during power failures, when we don’t keep the globes clean, the light is burning and shining inside, but the globe is so darkened with smut, that we can’t see much of the light. How are we living our lives? Are we letting the light of Jesus shine through a clean globe, or are we so ‘smutty’ that we have, in essence, “hidden” our light with the ‘smut’ of the world.

“Ye are the light of the world.

A city that is set on an hill

cannot be hid.

15 Neither do men light a candle,

and put it under a bushel,

but on a candlestick;

and it giveth light

unto all

that are in the house.

16 Let your light so shine

before men,

that they may see your good works,

and glorify your Father

which is in heaven.” Matthew 5:14-16

What do people see in my life? Do they see the light of Jesus, or do they see the smut of the world that I have allowed to dim the light that is within me? Jesus tells us that we are to “Let your light so shine” that the world will not only see good works, but that they will see our “good works” (the works that God does through our yielded life) and will be drawn to the light within us and “glorify your Father which is in heaven”! Our lives are to be a light in the darkness of sin around us. So the question is, “Are we shinning the light of Jesus, or are we putting our light “under a bushel”?” Is our light attracting those who are lost in the darkness, or is it so dim they don’t even recognize it as light?

May you, and I, “Let your light so shine”, being that life-saving lighthouse to those lost on the raging seas of sin; pleasing our Lord as we “Throw Out The Lifeline” (A hymn Written by Edwin S. Ufford) of salvation, rather than failing to shine the light on the rocks of peril that can destroy those out in the storms of life?

There is one other thing that I need to share about this issue of ‘shining’ our light to the world; there are those who won’t be attracted to the light, because they hate the light. There are evil people who have so rejected God and His ways, that they will also reject you. Don’t be surprised or amazed that not everyone will like or approve of your message when you share Jesus, but we are called to share as we have opportunity whether others respond or not. God calls us to shine—to be “fisher’s of men”– to shine and leave the results to HIM!!! But we are to shine, trusting Him whether we see the results we want or not.

Remember Jesus was, is and ever will be THE “light of the world” and they nailed HIM to a cross. Believe Him or not, shine or not, stay in the dark or come to the light—it’s your choice. But choose wisely—there is a test at the end!

“And this is the condemnation,

that light is come into the world,

and men loved darkness

rather than light,

because their deeds were evil.”    John 3:19

Men loved “darkness rather than light”—what do we love? Will we be HIS light—attracting the world to Jesus!