Having a relationship with Jesus Christ is life changing! Realizing there is a God who loves us greatly, coming into freedom from the guilt and condemnation of our past, gaining the ability to love others, and having the realization that our lives have purpose, Jesus is the source of these and many other amazing things.
It is so remarkable what Jesus does to people who follow him that it’s noticeable to others. Jesus tells us…
“You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.” (Mt 5:14–16)
Letting our light shine before men is easy when we first come into life with Jesus, but something happens over time that causes our light to shine differently. The process looks something like this…
- Become a follower of Christ
- Become part of church life
- Become part of the Christian culture
- Become Jonah
“When God saw what [the people of Nineveh] had done and how they had put a stop to their evil ways, he changed his mind and did not carry out the destruction he had threatened. This change of plans greatly upset Jonah, and he became very angry.” (Jonah 3:10–4:1, NLT)
After being a part of the Christian culture for a few years, we begin to complain and point out the horrible things happening in the world outside of the Church. Like Jonah, we don’t want anything to do with those who aren’t following God as we are. Like Jonah, we begin to have a secret sense of delight thinking about how God will one day punish all those sinners in our towns and cities. And like Jonah, who, even after God gave him a second chance and he saw the people of Nineveh repent and cry out to God, complained about not having shade over his head and being uncomfortable, we complain about how the church is not providing what we want, and grow numb to the fact that people all around us need the love and grace of Jesus.
We need to have the Holy Spirit melt away those hardened edges around our lives, and re-sensitize us to others and how great God’s love for them is. We need to have our lives shine as lights that attract and help, rather than blind people, spotlighting their failures.
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