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Christians are meant to be the light of the world. Lord Jesus is the Light, we are His body and so He shines through us.
Consider a light globe, the old fashioned type, not LED. It has a filament that gets white hot when power is applied. You can dim the globe by reducing the power to it. Between the filament and the glass is inert gas. That prevents the filament burning up. The glass allows the light through safely.
Christians have a new, born again spirit where Christ is pleased to dwell. He is there in the Person of His Holy Spirit. Between the spirit and body, there is the soul of man. This is mind, emotion and will, primarily. Then there is the body. The physical eye is a window into the soul.
How does this relate? Do people see the light of Christ when they look into our eyes? (Not a practice I encourage, especially when you are dealing with unbelievers).
The brightness of a light is governed by the electrical supply to it. Reduce the supply and it will dim. The output of light is also influenced by the condition of the globe. If it is dirty and dusty on the outside, it will be dim. If there is a problem with the atmosphere inside the globe, the light will also be dim.
When we are first born again, we are like a new born baby spiritually. Our spirit is right but we know little. We need to be taught much if we want to make progress in the Lord. An hour or two a week at a mega church is not enough. We need "daily bread", fellowship with the Lord and studying God's word. If we will be diligent in this, our spirit will be enlightened (Psalm 119:130).
Like a dusty light globe, we also need to keep clean. Just being in the world contaminates us. We sin and fail and we need to confess regularly.
The other issue is the soul. Think of this like the atmosphere inside the globe. If that is "cloudy" then the light is hindered getting through. When we are born again, the soul is an impediment to the spirit. The soul is programmed by the world, infected with false notions injected by Satan's forces, and bound by pride and rebellion. The world admires pride and rebellious souls. Aspects of those twin evils include stubbornness, independence, laziness, passivity, unforgiveness, rage and fear. Lord Jesus will deliver us progressively according to our willingness.
The greatest enemy of spiritual growth is self will, which is rooted in pride and rebellion. Each Christian some day faces a personal "Gethsemane", where our own will and God's will clash. The Christian who accepts God's will in spite of his/her own strong desire will make progress. Those who do not, stagnate and may turn away from the Lord entirely.
People like to say that they have decided to follow Jesus. They should note the journey. Lord Jesus chose the cross in spite of His own revulsion at the thought of the shame. Dare we do less? We do not suffer physical death. We do need to die to self. We do not need do anything but accept God's will. No one can crucify themselves. That is already done. We do need to accept God's judgement on self. You may live a "good" life, but the "good" is often the enemy of God. If you will lose the self life on the cross in this life, you will gain much in the next. And people will see Lord Jesus shining through you. You won't see it. The light shines from inside out. But others will see, and be blessed or angered. The choice is yours.
Consider a light globe, the old fashioned type, not LED. It has a filament that gets white hot when power is applied. You can dim the globe by reducing the power to it. Between the filament and the glass is inert gas. That prevents the filament burning up. The glass allows the light through safely.
Christians have a new, born again spirit where Christ is pleased to dwell. He is there in the Person of His Holy Spirit. Between the spirit and body, there is the soul of man. This is mind, emotion and will, primarily. Then there is the body. The physical eye is a window into the soul.
How does this relate? Do people see the light of Christ when they look into our eyes? (Not a practice I encourage, especially when you are dealing with unbelievers).
The brightness of a light is governed by the electrical supply to it. Reduce the supply and it will dim. The output of light is also influenced by the condition of the globe. If it is dirty and dusty on the outside, it will be dim. If there is a problem with the atmosphere inside the globe, the light will also be dim.
When we are first born again, we are like a new born baby spiritually. Our spirit is right but we know little. We need to be taught much if we want to make progress in the Lord. An hour or two a week at a mega church is not enough. We need "daily bread", fellowship with the Lord and studying God's word. If we will be diligent in this, our spirit will be enlightened (Psalm 119:130).
Like a dusty light globe, we also need to keep clean. Just being in the world contaminates us. We sin and fail and we need to confess regularly.
The other issue is the soul. Think of this like the atmosphere inside the globe. If that is "cloudy" then the light is hindered getting through. When we are born again, the soul is an impediment to the spirit. The soul is programmed by the world, infected with false notions injected by Satan's forces, and bound by pride and rebellion. The world admires pride and rebellious souls. Aspects of those twin evils include stubbornness, independence, laziness, passivity, unforgiveness, rage and fear. Lord Jesus will deliver us progressively according to our willingness.
The greatest enemy of spiritual growth is self will, which is rooted in pride and rebellion. Each Christian some day faces a personal "Gethsemane", where our own will and God's will clash. The Christian who accepts God's will in spite of his/her own strong desire will make progress. Those who do not, stagnate and may turn away from the Lord entirely.
People like to say that they have decided to follow Jesus. They should note the journey. Lord Jesus chose the cross in spite of His own revulsion at the thought of the shame. Dare we do less? We do not suffer physical death. We do need to die to self. We do not need do anything but accept God's will. No one can crucify themselves. That is already done. We do need to accept God's judgement on self. You may live a "good" life, but the "good" is often the enemy of God. If you will lose the self life on the cross in this life, you will gain much in the next. And people will see Lord Jesus shining through you. You won't see it. The light shines from inside out. But others will see, and be blessed or angered. The choice is yours.
