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Praise God! His
Light continues to shine in the darkness of this sinful world. Everyday
almost, we hear of tragedies, of people losing their lives prematurely,
including teenagers and children, even infants.
We hear of natural disasters causing havoc to all of creation,
including mankind. We hear of accidents on the roads, on the seas and
in the air. We hear of wars and rumours of war. We hear of Christians
suffering violence, terrible persecution and death. Yes, the world is a
dark place, full of the evil of hatred, selfishness and greed. Often
these things are blatantly obvious, more often they are done more
subtly and carried out away from the public eye. Even in places of
authority evil lurks in the corridors of power among those in whom a
measure of trust has been placed.
But, praise the Lord, His Light IS shining in the darkness and we must not despair nor give up our Hope.
As
the Lord looks upon His world, which He created and was perfect when He
finished it, He sees the darkness. I suppose, for us it would be like
looking at the night sky on a moonless night, away from the bright
lights of the towns and cities. The sky is very dark.
One by one the stars begin to appear in the blackness of the sky
– some are just visible, a glint of light, others shine more
brightly and still others appear to twinkle and reflect light. Some are
very small, while others are larger and more clearly seen. God sees the
areas of brightness in His world as well as the darkness. He sees where
the Light is shining and He gives strength and encouragement so they
can shine even brighter to be more clearly seen. God dealt with the
darkness when He sent His Son Jesus into the world, where He died for
us and now offers forgiveness for all who would trust Him. All of us
who know and love the Lord Jesus and seek to live for him are areas of
Light where we live, work, play and worship. Are we reflecting the
Light of Jesus Who is the Light of the world?
Let me give another example of us, as Christians, being Light. If you
have ever been to the theatre or watched it on television you will know
that the star of the show is held in the spotlight which shines down on
the actor. Whenever and wherever he/she moves on the stage, the
spotlight follows so that they are kept in its light. For us we are in
God’s spotlight, but unlike the actor, we only move when the
Light moves. On the stage the actor’s movements direct the
spotlight but in our lives it is the Light which directs us. When the
Light moves, we move with it so that we are always in the Light.
We are to, ‘walk in the light as He is in the light,’ so says 1John 1:7.
We obey and follow the Lord’s instructions so that we can be good reflectors of His Light.
Jesus
came to be a Light to the nations (Isaiah 42:6) and He is that through
us, His people in the nations. We women of Europe represent many
nations, let us shine the Light that we have in Jesus to our nations in
the various ways that He moves and directs us. Good things are
happening. Christians are reaching out with the love of Jesus and the
good news of the Gospel. You will read of some of them in this
magazine. In many different ways we are all endeavouring to be the
Light of God where we are. Whatever He asks us to do, great or small,
up front or behind the scenes, we must be obedient to Him. When our
Light is shining brightly people will acknowledge God, the Father and
give glory to Him, hopefully by coming to know Him through Jesus, His
Son. ‘You are the light of the
world… let your light shine before men, that they may see your
good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.’ Matthew
5:14,16.
I
want to encourage you to keep your lamps trimmed and ready, always
spreading the Light. Jesus came and in a few weeks we’ll remember
His birth, but, He has promised to return – not as a helpless
baby – as the King of kings and Lord of lords to take His people
to be with Him forever. So as we celebrate His first coming may we also
with joy and anticipation look for His second coming and rejoice. May
the thought of His return spur us on to shine ever more brightly with
the indwelling Light of the world with us. This surely will encourage
us to persevere as we face the trials of our earthly lives. Remember
the darkness cannot put out the Light. The Light shows up the darkness
but it cannot be extinguished. May you know much blessing in your lives
this Christmas time and may you go forward into 2009 with confidence
and joy as you become ever more determined to shine for Jesus across
Europe.
Margaret Brown
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