Issue 823 – Stormy Weather Ahead – August 12, 2022

Gull ahead of storm clouds
Ahead of the storm

This morning’s Gleanings is a little shorter than usual. I wrote more extensively on today’s passage recently but felt called back today.

The sky to the east was covered with clouds as far north and south as I could see, and they were black. It is not an overstatement to say they were ominous looking. 

A flash of light caught my eye. Lightning? 

It wasn’t lightning. It was a single gull flying across the face of the storm, and the setting sun in the west had shone off the white feathers. The tiniest spot of light had overcome the darkness, and my eyes were drawn to it. 

Darkness is trumped by light every time. The deeper the darkness, the less the light required to show against it. 

As Christians, we are admonished to live a lifestyle that stands out against the darkness of a lost and hurting world. 

 “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven. Matthew 5:14-16

The world is watching. Sometimes people are watching to see us fail so they can feel better about themselves. Sometimes they are watching to ridicule. Sometimes, they watch to see if Jesus really makes a difference in our lives. They want to have hope, peace and joy but are afraid of being disappointed. They worry that Jesus might be too good to be true.

The way we handle the struggles of life says volumes about our Lord. In many ways, Christians have the same struggles as non-Christians. The difference doesn’t come in pretending we don’t have problems. The light shines when they see we have issues, but we handle them differently. When they know the difference, many are drawn toward the light.

The truth is that our witness isn’t always positive. We have all done and said inappropriate things in the moment that we may have regretted instantly. The witness comes in the way that we handle those moments. Do we repent? Do we seek to make amends? Do we strive not to repeat them with the Lord’s help?

Don’t be discouraged if your light has been shining and no one appears to have noticed. People are watching, and the light can shine a long way. Sometimes it’s a long journey from our first glimpse of light to the source. 

Until next time, keep on shining! 

Hallelu Yah (Praise God)

Be blessed

Kevin.

Gleanings From The Word.

Experience an extraordinary God in ordinary life. 

Soli Deo Gloria (for the glory of God alone.)

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Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture references are from the English Standard Version (ESV).

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