It’s Our Time To Shine – Who Will Step Up?

 by Pastor Doug Cox

“Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.” Matthew 5:16

Last Sunday I shared a message emphasizing the importance of Christians shining their light for Christ in this new year.  It’s obvious evil and darkness are on the increase and their peddlers seem as bold as Goliath was when he taunted the armies of Israel.
 
In that story the opposing armies stood on their perspective mountains. Evil’s giant named Goliath went down into the valley between the mountains to threaten and taunt God’s army. His intimidation worked. No one from God’s side challenged Satan’s big bruiser, that is until a young shepherd named David after delivering cheese to the troops decided to get involved. His brothers became angry and maybe embarrassed as he began inserting himself into the situation. They chided him accusing him of being prideful and abandoning his duty of watching the sheep. David’s reply was “…What have I done now? Is there not a cause?” (1 Samuel 17:29)
 
David’s question was a probing one. Here are some thoughts he might have been thinking as he observed the whole situation. “Why are all of you dressed up for battle if you are afraid to fight? “Doesn’t anyone around here believe that God has our back?” “What good has all your training for war been, if you aren’t willing to put it into practice?” And of course, the thought that became words, “Is there not a cause?”
 
We can learn a lot from David. We know he was willing to fight for God’s cause. In the past he had applied himself to defending godly causes, like protecting his father’s sheep. He killed sheep eating predators like a lion and a bear. Because of that he was able to courageously take down the godless big mouth named Goliath. This is where we need to understand the importance of “…making the most of our time, because the days are evil,” recorded in Ephesians 5:16. Every right thing you do in your daily living, is preparing you for a great thing in the future.
 
Here are some probing questions we should consider especially if we want to shine as a light for Jesus. “Is my Christianity an important enough cause to stand up for in an unfriendly environment?” “Is it enough for me to gather together in worship of God and learn about truth with others or does the Lord expect more of me?” “How can I do a better job of redeeming my time so it will be more effective for the sake of God’s purposes?”