Our Daily Bread 29th March 2019 – Bright Lights
Topic: Bright Lights
Bible in a Year: Judges 7–8; Luke 5:1–16
Key Verse: You are the light of the world. – Matthew 5:14
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Today’s Scripture: Philippians 2:12–18 (NIV)
Insight: The Philippian Christians are not to work for their salvation, for salvation is a gift from God (Ephesians 2:8–9). Instead, having received salvation, Paul urged them to live out their Christian life—to “work hard to show the results of [their] salvation, obeying God with deep reverence and fear” (Philippians 2:12 nlt).
They are to follow Christ’s example in servanthood and humility (vv. 3–11). In today’s passage, Paul used two metaphors to describe how we are to live: First, we are to “shine . . . like stars” (v. 15).
Pointedly, Jesus said that as “the light of the world” we are to let our “light shine before others, that they may see [our] good deeds and glorify [our] Father in heaven” (Matthew 5:16). Second, as runners in a race (Philippians 2:16), we are to “run with perseverance” (Hebrews 12:1) and “in such a way as to get the prize”—to complete the race (1 Corinthians 9:24–27).
Message: Our Daily Bread 29th March 2019
In the summer of 2015, a group from our church was sobered by what we saw in Mathare, one of the slums in Nairobi, Kenya. We visited a school with dirt floors, rusting metal walls, and wooden benches. But against the backdrop of extremely humble surroundings, one person stood out.
Her name was Brilliant, and the name couldn’t have fit her better. She was an elementary school teacher who possessed joy and determination that matched her mission. Colorfully dressed, her appearance and the joy with which she instructed and encouraged the children were stunning.
Our Daily Bread 29th March 2019
The bright light Brilliant brought to her surroundings resembles the way Christians in Philippi were to be positioned in their world when Paul wrote to them in the first century. Against the background of a spiritually needy world, believers in the Lord Jesus were to shine “like stars in the sky” (Philippians 2:15).
Our assignment hasn’t changed. Bright lights are needed everywhere! How encouraging it is to know that through the One “who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose” (v. 13) believers in Jesus can sparkle in ways that fit Jesus’ description of those who follow Him.
To us He still says, “You are the light of the world. . . . Let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven” (Matthew 5:14–16). By Arthur Jackson
Today’s Reflection
How can you reveal the light of Christ to others? What can you do to bring His joy to those who desperately need it?
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