Kingdom Calling Blog…

As believers, children of God, sons and daughters of the living King, we are born to shine!

Today as I listened to a preach at church about Jesus being the light of the world, God started talking to me.

He reminded me that as His children we too are the lights of the world and that we need to shine.

In the bible it is full of references to Jesus being the light of the world and I love this imagery of light.

Light shines brightest when it’s in the dark.

Light cannot do anything but light up the dark.

Light is the total opposite of dark.

Darkness is merely the absence of light.

Light shows the way.

Light draws people in.

Things attract to the light.

Light brings hope.

In the bible Jesus says about himself,

John 8:12 When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

I was listening to a preach from Matthew 5:14-16 and God reminded me of the message version, which I particularly love;

Matt 5:14-16 “Here’s another way to put it: You’re here to be light, bringing out the God-colours in the world. God is not a secret to be kept. We’re going public with this, as public as a city on a hill. If I make you light-bearers, you don’t think I’m going to hide you under a bucket, do you? I’m putting you on a light stand. Now that I’ve put you there on a hilltop, on a light stand—shine! Keep open house; be generous with your lives. By opening up to others, you’ll prompt people to open up with God, this generous Father in heaven.

The thought that we are to bring out the God colours in the world I find exciting and beautiful and as I was thinking about this God showed me a picture of a room full of different lights, which I can only describe as a visit to the light department at Ikea! The room was full of all manner of fancy-dan light fittings and fixtures but there were also glow sticks, strobe lights, lighthouse lights and simple bulbs just hanging down.

I felt him say that there are people who are looking at other people’s lights and comparing their own. When they do this they are quite simply turning the dimmer switch down on their own light. We are all, like the lights, created in different and individual ways and as such we are all called to shine our light in a myriad of ways.

It’s no good if God created you to shine like a glow stick, placed in your own unique sphere of influence to then spend your time and energy looking all longingly at the fairy lights over there all gentle, twinkly and sparkly because you are not meant to shine like that. You may be the only Christian in your circle of friends and you may hang out together in the pub or even in a club and in that sphere of influence the glow stick (you) is what is needed and fairy lights simply wouldn’t be the appropriate light for the setting. Just the same as sticking a strobe light into a classroom would be totally wrong when a string of soft, multi-coloured fairy lights grab the attention of those children and adults who are drawn to the gentle lights that the fairy light gives out.

Instead of looking at others and the light they are God wants to remind you today that you are unique and individual and that is how he designed you. Don’t negate your own light, instead embrace the light you carry and do what you are supposed to do with it, which coincidentally is the same as everyone else and that’s SHINE!!!!

If you want your light to shine brighter then all you have to do is spend time with the source of all light, God and amazingly your light (whatever size it is) WILL grow brighter.

The Father today is offering an invitation to shine brighter and that is to come to the source and get fully charged so you can be all the shine you need to be! Your bulb is fully rechargeable and never needs to go dim unless of course you are looking and comparing yourself to somebody else, in which case you also need to go back to the source where you will be reminded of your true identity as a glow stick, a single bulb or a string of fairy lights. All of them are priceless and called to shine the light into the circumstances, workplace, friendship group or family where God has placed you.