Living Ready Series

Don’t try to hide the light.

We are to be shining our light so that all may see our Father in Heaven. We are to reflect His light as He is in us!

You know, growing up, standing out was the last thing I wanted to do. I wanted nothing more than to fit in. I grew up in the poor part of my town of Wheelersburg. Everyone else had big fancy houses, lots of money, new cars, new clothes. Me, well, most of the time I was lucky to get to wear hand-me-down clothes from my cousins. Don’t get me wrong, they were good clothes. Just not always the most stylish, if at all. Most of the time, I really stood out. I was different. It was very embarrassing at the time.

But there’s nothing to be embarrassed about when we reflect the light of Jesus to the world. That’s exactly what Jesus wants from us! To be different. To live in this world, but not be of this world. To live here, but not blend in.

That’s what it means to live a sanctified life. And if we are truly ready for Jesus’ return, that’s how we would be living each and every day.

3. Finally, we need to be living a life with a renewed witness.

It’s time for us to look at our witness, and refresh and renew our witness to this world.

In Luke 12, Jesus told His disciples:

32 “Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom. 33 Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will not be exhausted, where no thief comes near || and no moth destroys. 34 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. (Luke 12, NIV)

We need to be different — and, according to Jesus, our witness should include such things as:

Providing for those in need, just like the church in the book of Acts did;

Taking care of the widows and orphans, like they did in the book of Acts; and,

Laying our treasures in Heaven, and not accumulating wealth for the sake of wealth on this earth.

When we are demonstrating love to the world around us, they will notice.

The world will wonder what is different about us.

And our testimony will open the door for us to share the gospel with them.

Our lives should be an open opportunity — a platform on which we are always sharing our witness to the world.

https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7150428215046553600/

https://sportsspectrum.com/sport/football/2023/09/22/texans-qb-cj-stroud-my-purpose-spread-gospel/

NFL Rookie Quarterback CJ Stroud has been vocal about his faith in Jesus Christ. “My foundation as a man is that I’m a man of God. I’ve been scarred and battle-tested, but I have the armor of God on me.”

Stroud has taken the Houston Texans from one of the worst teams in the NFL to making the playoffs in his rookie season. He constantly has given all the glory to Jesus Christ for his success.

“When I got to college, I found Christ for myself,” said Stroud, who often played with the shape of the cross on one of his thigh pads. It’s definitely something that I’m still learning to this day. I’m definitely not perfect. … It does keep me grounded; it does keep me humble just because I know anything can be stripped away at any point. I feel like God put me on this platform to preach his word.”