Light It Up!
Christmas lights are a big part of what makes Christmas decorations work. They fill out the tree and beautify a house. In fact, people go to lighting events and drive through neighborhoods that have a lot of lights displayed. It’s almost like, we go see lights get turned on, and what’s funny is, we turn on lights everyday.
But these are special moments because of Christmas and it’s different when we light it up! Trees, buildings and more shine brighter and stand out more because of the holiday and what we’re celebrating.
However, there’s something deeper with this tradition we have. It’s biblical and foundational to who we are and what we believe. This is what we’re called to do with our lives as we, light it up!
It’s simple and straightforward as Jesus said in Matthew 5:14,
“You are the light of the world like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden.”
Matthew 5:14
Notice we are the light of the world and we’re compared to, a city on a hill. That speaks to posture, position and boldness.
We’re not called to hide our light, be timid and afraid. No, we’re called to be bold, do good works and shine for all to see. We’re called to light it up for the world to see Jesus and just like our trees or houses that are arrayed in lights, we’re to light up our heart for God!
In fact, we’re called to be a burning flame for Him (see Psalms 104:4). Our lives can be living torches that blaze for others to see the love, grace, mercy and kindness of God. And our position should be on a hilltop being out front and known for what we do for God, verses what we’re against in the name of God.
Light it up! This is what Jesus is saying to us this Christmas.
He wants our hearts on fire for Him verses on fire for politics, COVID theories and more. He wants us lit up with love for our brothers and sisters, modeling compassion and being unified through our differences. He wants us to shine bright on the job, at church, during family gatherings, on the street and especially in the chaos of 2020. Our position is to be a hill and our posture is to be lit up with the light of Jesus.
So I ask you, what are you lighting up in your life?
This year, it’s easy to light up politics, race debates, social media arguments and disagreements in general. It’s easy to get fired up about the present circumstances, while forgetting the eternal purpose of God. It’s easy to light it up for so many other things, other than what matters most, Jesus. Therefore, we must give ourselves as a willing torch for God.
We must light it up!
So how do we do this?
When starting a fire, dry wood is the best to use, because it ignites easier. For us, giving God the dry places of our lives is how we catch fire for Him and light it up! However, it’s these areas that the enemy loves to play games with us to cause strife, offense, disappointments, anger, unforgiveness, self-pity, excuses and so much more. Notice, the very areas that God wants to set on fire and heal, is the very areas the enemy wants to cause a fire that destroys our faith and more.
So we must choose what we do with these dry places. We must decide who will have these places of our lives because whoever has it, will determine being on fire for God or being in the middle of a fire. I know I want to be on fire for God. I want to light it up so Jesus can use me and heal the dry places of my life.
Think about it, the dry places can be the catalyst that takes me deeper into God. So what’s dry in your life? Is it your marriage, parenting, family, friends, faith, money, health, thoughts and more?
No matter what it is, Jesus is here and He has miracles for you. He can light it up and use you for all to see Him and to heal you at the same time. This is why we must light it up for God! We can’t afford to hide our light, or turn off our light, because too much is on the line and our lives count for something more.
So as you check the Christmas lights this year, please remember, you’re the light of the world and so, light it up! We all need Jesus more than ever!!
Have a great week and Christmas planning!
PD
