By Pastor Anthony Scott
One of the unique challenges of being a Christian is living out faith in everyday life. Each day we have numerous opportunities to bless others with the Christ who lives in us. From a mountainside, Jesus taught his disciples, you are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden; nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lamp stand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light so shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven (Matthew 5:14-16, NASB).”
We are challenged and motivated by scripture to live out our faith in the actualities of life, those being at home, work, play, and with our friends. Faith was never meant to be compartmentalized or limited to the times of our sacred gathering or when a crisis appears on our horizon. In this week’s inspiration our focus is to see how as disciples, we can glorify God in our work for Him, in the way we deal with sorrow and death, experience joy, and look for future rewards.
As disciples of Jesus Christ the great commission is our charge to work (Matthew 28:19-20). G. Campbell Morgan aptly said, “We have wrongly extended to those outside of the discipleship the opportunity of helping in the work of the master.” Simply put, we are letting others do what only we have the power to do. Jesus told us to feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, visit the prisoner, and care for the sick. We should not look for others to make the world a better place when the charge was given to us.
Sorrow is a common heritage of humanity. The disciple however handles sorrow much differently than the world. We are never sorrowful as if we have no hope. Life has guaranteed sorrow but Jesus has already overcome the world and its sorrows. Listen to the prophet Isaiah,”Surely our grief’s He himself bore, and our sorrows He carried (Isaiah 53:4, NASB).“ The upside to this worlds sorrow is heavens joy. Joy is the permanent stuff that heaven puts inside us to help keep in perspective outside circumstances. Joy is the God given remedy for whatever troubles you.
God’s word gives us a glimpse of the future glory that waits when Paul gives this confident affirmation of faith, “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared to the glory that is to be revealed in us (Romans 8:18, NASB).” We know that He has gone away to prepare a place and will come again to receive us. So, in that light, let us live for Him and demonstrate our faith in all the contingencies of life with the great expectation of seeing Him one day.
Be Wonderfully Blessed.
