Light in a Dark Place

Want to see something really funny? Some time when you are staying the night at a friend’s house, wait until after you have turned out the lights. (We all know nobody goes right to sleep anyway.) Wait until your eyes have adjusted to the darkness, and then throw the light on and be ready to laugh at your friend as he squints in the bright light. Oh, and I almost forgot to tell you: your friend will be laughing at you too!
Isn’t it amazing how bright a normal old light bulb is when you’ve gotten used to the darkness? The darker the night is, the brighter a light seems. The darkness doesn’t diminish the light at all; it actually makes it brighter by contrast.
Our Christian testimony ought to be like that. Philippians 2:15 says, “That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world.” In order to shine brightly as God’s lights here in this world, what must we do?
As Christians, the children of God, we have the responsibility to be three things: blameless, harmless, and without rebuke. Those three characteristics, all closely related, giving us the idea that we must be above reproach, pure, and faultless. In our testimony before the watching world, we should be known as being above reproach. It is not enough just to be “good.,” we must be above reproach.
If somebody lies about us and says that we did something evil or said something off-color, it should be laughable. Everybody should know that as a Christian, we would never say or do that. Being above reproach involves a habitual pattern of living that does what is right. It protects us from slander. When somebody does something wrong, we should not be the first person everybody points at as the culprit. A Christian brings reproach on Jesus Christ when he is characterized as a troublemaker, a prankster, or someone who is perpetually doing the wrong thing.
As our world grows more and more evil, Christians should shine more and more brightly. Just like that one light bulb that seems so bright in the middle of the night, we ought to shine out brilliantly in our dark and evil world.

Want and Can

There’s a big difference between want and can. A lot of people want to do things that they can’t do. Some people really want to play a certain sport, to sing, to act, or to draw, but no offense to them, they just can’t. On the other hand, some people can do these things very well, but they just don’t want to. Want and can are two totally different things.
When it comes to spiritual things, many people who are deeply involved in false religions or cults desperately want to get to God. Their problem is that they cannot, because there is only one way to God. Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life; no man cometh unto the Father but by me” (John 14:6). Jesus Christ is the only way to God. On the other hand, many people do know the truth about Jesus because they have grown up in good families, gone to solid churches, and learned what the Bible says. They can please God, but they don’t want to.
Philippians 2:12–13 deals with this matter of want and can. Paul tells these believers, “Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.” First, he commands them to “work out their own salvation.” Of course, this doesn’t mean that they are responsible to save themselves. Rather, it means that since they have been saved and changed from the inside, they are now to allow that change to affect their outward behavior. Their lives should make clear that God has changed them.
But as we all know, it is hard to do that consistently, day in and day out. Verse thirteen tells us we can live out our faith because “God is working in us.” God is working in our lives so that we can obey him.
How is God working in us? The verse says that God works in us, “both to will and to do of his good pleasure.” What this means is God is working in us, giving us both the desire and the ability to please him. In other words, Christians can please God because He gives them the desire (the want) and the ability (the can)!
If you have no desire and no ability to please God, then it would seem that God is not working in you and you need to turn in faith and repentance to Jesus Christ. However, if you are saved, God is giving you the desire to please him and the ability to achieve that desire in your daily life.
Want and can are two very different things, but as Christians, God is working in us so that we both want to please him and we can do that! Live out your salvation this week!

What's That Supposed to Mean Anyway?

Perhaps you have wondered what in the world the heading at the top of these sheets means. The phrase “so I write” comes from a relatively obscure verse. In 2 Thessalonians 3:17, Paul concludes his letter with these words: “The salutation of Paul with mine own hand, which is the token in every epistle: so I write.”
Normally, Paul did not hand write his letters. He would dictate them to a scribe hired to take dictation and write down the letters. Because this scribe, called an amanuensis, was doing the writing, Paul was free to think carefully about what he wanted to say and exactly how to say it.
In Romans 16:22, we even find the name of one of these scribes: “I Tertius, who wrote this epistle, salute you in the Lord.” Although someone else did the writing for most of the letter, Paul always signed his letters in his own handwriting (1 Cor 16:21; Phlm 19; Col 4:18). This is what Paul is saying in 2 Thessalonians 3:17: “Here is my handwritten signature: Paul. This is how I write my epistles.” Why did Paul make it his habit to sign each letter with his own signature?
For one thing, Paul’s handwritten signature demonstrated his concern for the readers. Paul was not mailing out hundreds of letters bulk rate. Each letter demonstrated his genuine care and concern for each of the people in that church. This is why Paul speaks of being burdened with “the care of all the churches” (2 Cor 11:28). When those people grew in the Lord and glorified Him, Paul was thrilled. When they fell into sin and did not do what pleased God, Paul himself felt their hurt. He worried about them, he longed for them, he desired to see them glorify God and obey him.
I hope you realize the care and concern that your youth group leaders have for you. You may think we don’t care about you or we don’t want you to have any “fun.” You may not care for our personalities or the way we do things in youth group. You may wish we did things differently.
We are not perfect youth group leaders, but we do care for you in the Lord. We want you to please God. Nothing could make us happier than to hear that you are doing what is right, learning God’s Word, and obeying it. We regularly pray for each one of you individually and specifically. We try to make time to talk to you and to find out how we can encourage you in your spiritual life. We love you in the Lord and want you to follow him.
That is why I am signing this note by hand. I love each one of you and want you to know I care about you and your spiritual well being. This is how I write.

Go for the Gold

I have a confession to make: I’m an “Olympics junkie.” Yup, that’s right— now that the Olympics are over, I can get on with my life. It’s a good thing the Olympics only come around every four years or so! For whatever reason, I can just get totally into watching some athlete I’ve never heard of (and whose name I can’t pronounce!) play a sport I have no idea about. There’s something about it that just grabs me.
Maybe one of the factors that makes the Olympics so compelling to me is that there are so many athletes competing, but only one gets the gold medal. Only one of all those runners, gymnasts, divers, or swimmers can win each event. They are all out there competing as hard as they can to try to get that gold medal. The disappointment on their faces when they come up short reminds me that there is only one gold medal.
I think Paul might have been a fan of the Olympics too. In 1 Corinthians 9:24, he says, “Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain.” He is saying exactly what we have all seen during the Olympics: Everybody runs, but only one person wins— so run to win!
In the next several verses, Paul makes it clear that he isn’t encouraging us all to become Olympic athletes. He points out that our spiritual life is like a race. We shouldn’t be out loafing along and hoping to qualify. We should be running to win! We should be straining for the finish line, giving it everything we have. We need to get serious about our Christian lives.
When I was little, I used to play “church” with my sister. One of us would get up and lead singing, give announcements, sing a solo, or preach. It was great fun! I’m worried that sometimes we fall into the trap of “playing church.” We come to Sunday school, church, youth group, and even extra meetings sometimes, but it’s just a ritual we’re going through. We’re not “running to win”— we’re just trying to get by. Church is a time for worship, for instruction, for encouragement, and an opportunity to minister to other believers. We need to get serious about church.
No Olympic athlete sits at home watching TV, playing video games, eating chips and drinking pop, waiting to turn into the greatest athlete in the world. That’s preposterous! No, they are working out every day, getting stronger, faster, and better. Do we ever just sit around, waiting for God to zap us and turn us into perfect Christians? It’s never going to happen. God’s plan for his children is that they obey him. That’s why Ephesians 2:10 says, “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.” Stop sitting around and get busy obeying God! We need to get serious about obeying God’s Word.
Learn a lesson from the Olympics: Go for the gold! Run to win! Make every effort to be the Christian that God created you to be.
P.S. Take a little time this week to read over 1 Corinthians 9:24–27. It’s an amazing passage. See if you can pick out the other lessons Paul has learned from watching athletes compete.