"Turn the Light on!"
Ezra 7:1 - 8:20
I Corinthians 4:1-21
Psalm 30:1-12
Proverbs 20:28-30
"When the Lord comes, he will turn on the light so that everyone can see exactly what each one of us is really like, deep down in our hearts. Then everyone will know why we have been doing the Lord's work. At that time God will give to each one whatever praise is coming to him." (I Cor. 4:5)
That is a great verse! A few days ago we looked at Psalm 26:2 and how the Lord tests our motives and affections. This is one of the deepest elements of the Christian walk. Often, because people see what we are like on the outside, that is what we put all our effort into. The truth of the matter is that God is not as concerned with what people are thinking of us as he is about who we are inside.
Erwin McManus, pastor of Mosaic, a ministry in California made this statement. "We must be careful to run as fast as our character is deepening, and not as fast as our talent goes wide or high." He was speaking to pastors, and he said this as well, "Because we have a job in professional ministry based on talent, we may have never walked that lonely road with Christ to develop the kind of character that will handle the conflict and spiritual warfare that leadership requires."
This applies to every one of us whether or not we are in "professional" ministry. The focus of our life needs to be to allow God to shine his light on what's on the inside. That needs to be formed under the direction of the Holy Spirit. When that happens, not only are we not concerned with what others may see, we are more equipped to handle whatever may come our way.
When we are living the Spirit - empowered life, we have an internal drive that will navigate through any situation. If we don't have this working inside, we're like a nice looking car with no engine. we "coast" through life. The problem with coasting is that where you go is completely dependent on external forces. Things are great when we're zooming down hill, but when it's time to climb the mountain, there's nothing inside.
Paul says in verse 20, "The Kingdom of God is not just talking; it is living by God's power." Just because you look like you're living the DREAM doesn't mean you are. There needs to be a Spirit transformation that brings it about.
"What are you so puffed up about? What do you have that God hasn't given you? And if all you have is from God, why act as though you are so great, and as though you have accomplished something on your own?" (I Cor. 4:7)
The Psalm today can be applied as well. "In my prosperity I said, 'This is forever; nothing can stop me now! The Lord has shown me his favor. He has made me steady as a mountain.' Then, Lord, you turned your face away from me and cut off your river of blessings. Suddenly my courage was gone; I was terrified and panic-stricken." (Psalm 30:6-7)
It's easy for our human nature to convince us that if we "look" like we're who God created us to be we don't have to go through the refining process. That's not the case. That's a dangerous game to play. We need to allow him to make us into who he's created us to be. Then we wont have to be worried about what people see, because it's taken care of.
Allow God to turn the light on today!
Through the Power of the Spirit,
Live the DREAM!
Pastor Greg Lathe
Dynamic Lifestyle of Worship
Relationships Devoted to Unity
Empowered Through Biblical Training
Active Ministry Involvement
Mission to Reach our World for Christ
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