Reflecting the Son/Tuesday, August 18, 2009
by Dr. Paul Chappell
Mark 4:21–22
God’s light through your life could be the deciding factor in someone’s turn to Christ.
Have you ever tried to walk around in a dark room without a light? Some of the most painful things happen when trying to walk without a light to illuminate the way—stubbed toes, bruised shins, and banged-up knees. Yet when that light comes on, it fills the room and reveals what was hidden by the darkness.
Throughout Scripture, God commands us to be a light in this world. As Christians, we are to show God’s eternal truths through our lives so others can see the way to Him. Think of this in terms of the moon. The moon is the earth’s lunar orbiter that fills the night with light. It is not as powerful as the sun and does not emit as much light as the sun, yet it emits just enough to light the way until the sun comes out. But the unique thing about the moon is that it does not contain a light source from which it gets it light. So then from where does the light come? The light comes from the sun. The moon orbits in between the earth and the sun and reflects the sun’s light down on earth. In the same way, we as Christians have no light source on our own. We cannot draw people to Christ nor can we save them. But God desires that, like the moon, we reflect the Son’s light and light the way to Christ.
There are three different ways we can reflect the Son’s light through our lives—three ways we can point others to Christ.
First, we can reflect God’s light through our testimonies. One of the greatest impacts you can have on someone’s life is by showing him how a child of God lives. Too often people reject the Gospel because they see inconsistencies in the lives of Christians. They see that church and God are just a hobby or weekly meeting to some people. Yet when a Christian is committed to following God and lives a sanctified (set apart) life, it shows God’s light.
Christians aren’t perfect, and there will be times we mess up. The unsaved aren’t turned away by a Christian who falls, but by a Christian who doesn’t get back up. The world is searching for something real, something in which they can believe. Reflecting God’s light means walking with Him and even when we fall, getting back up and continuing to follow Him.
Second, we can point others to Christ through love. Perhaps a friend of yours is unsaved. Maybe you’ve witnessed to him for years, even to the point that he has become annoyed with your witness. How can you reach him if he is so cold to God’s plan of salvation? Sometimes it takes more than reasoning with someone to turn him to God. Sometimes it takes spending personal time to show him you care, to show him you don’t merely want them to join your church but to experience a meaningful relationship with God. Taking a person out to eat, inviting him over for a barbeque, grabbing a cup of coffee together, attending a sports game together—there are many ways you can show God’s light by investing time and love into someone’s life.
Last, we can reflect God’s light through invitation. There are some people who do want to visit your church or would like to attend an Easter or Christmas musical. Sometimes, the conviction of being in church and hearing God’s Word opened is enough to turn someone to God. Never underestimate the power of inviting someone to church. Lives are changed every week by people who visit good, Bible-preaching churches.
Think of someone right now who you know is unsaved. How can you reach out to him this week? How can you reflect God’s light to him? Maybe it’s through keeping a good testimony around him, investing some time in him, or inviting them to church next week. Whatever the method, commit to being a moon this week and letting Christ’s light shine through you.
