A Nugget from New Life Network
Scripture for the Day (September 15, 2015)
Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven. (Matthew 5:16)
It has always amazed me how Jesus would do the exact opposite from the norm in His ministry. He ate with sinners, ministered to people like the Samaritan woman at the well that he shouldn’t have, he laid hands on a leper that had probably not been touched in years, he prayed for the dead to be raised, he turned water into wine, he chose fishermen as his closest disciples, and on and on it went. He was the most non-politically correct person of all time and miracles abounded.
I was reminded of this on a fishing trip this weekend in the midst of a heavy rainstorm. My bass fishing buddy (Steve Whyte) and I were in my bass boat, in the rain, catching fish after fish and having to run the bilge pump to keep the boat from filling up with water. All the other fishermen had left the lake due to 6-7 hours of steady rain and they had all returned to their comfortable cabins. They probably thought we were crazy but there are two things I have learned about bass fishing. First, you can’t catch any bass sitting in your cabin. Second, bass love the rain and they are already wet so it doesn’t bother them a bit.
You and I are not called to our comfortable cabins. We are children of the light and to be effective we must go to some unusual places and do some unusual things. That is why my wife and I have spent the last 26 years of our ministry going into places like prisons, missions, and marketplace arenas.
Have you ever turned on a flashlight in a brightly lit room? Have you ever tried to see your car headlight beams at midday? Light is made to dispel darkness, not light. I would much rather minister in a prison than a church service because you can see the light work. Prisoners, for the most part, know they are in need of help. Some church folks don’t know that.
We encourage you to get involved with a ministry that is taking light into a dark place. A mission trip to Honduras with our friends Doug and Janet Rowland at Alive2Love will change your life. Maybe your church has a jail ministry. Get involved! You will never regret it. Whatever it is, get out of your comfort zone and shine your light. You will be surprised what God will do as you step out.
For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. (2 Corinthians 4:6)
