To Encourage You

Philippians 2:14-15 “Do everything without grumbling or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, ‘children of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation.’ Then you will shine among them like stars in the sky”

One of the amazing things about a star is that you can see one from a million miles away.  One of the reasons that this is so is because of the blackness that surrounds it.  Another reason is that it is made of fire.  Isn’t it interesting that the Bible tells Christians that they are to shine like the stars?  Surely there are some parallels here to think about. 

For one, a Christian should be evident “from a million miles away” because of the contrast between his or her life and the “warped and crooked” generation in which they live.  The world is black, spiritually speaking, and the believer is full of the light of Christ.  That light should be evident to everyone, all the time, in each and every situation. A Christian should think differently, drastically differently, than non-Christians. They should speak differently. As the verses above state, they should do everything they do without complaining about it or arguing all the time – such a simple thing, but such a contrast from what we so commonly hear in this world. Believers should eat differently than those in the world, drink differently, raise their children differently, and treat their spouses differently.  We are even to grieve differently – because, unlike the world, we don’t grieve like those who have no hope (1 Thessalonians 4:13). No matter what we do we are to “do it all to the glory of God” (1 Corinthians 10:31). So, does that describe you and me if we say we love Christ?  It surely should. 

But then the believer is to be on fire for the Lord, so to speak, just like the stars.  As Paul told Timothy, we are to “fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you” (2 Timothy 1:6).  That means we are to be passionate about our God – a passion that can be seen, if not “a million miles away,” then at least by the people we live with and who see us every day, like those in our family, neighborhood, and work place.   People are passionate about a lot of things – sports, music, hobbies, causes, etc., etc., – but those inanimate things are not passionate back.  You see, our awesome God is passionate for us. He so loved us that He gave His one and only son to die for us on the cross. He did this so that we could be “delivered . . . from the domain of darkness and transferred . . . to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins” (Colossians 1:13-14). Can you imagine this, this great and overwhelming and passionate love?  If you are a believer and aren’t passionate about this awesome Savior, then something is wrong somewhere.  Like a star that no longer gives light, and salt that loses its saltiness (Matthew 5:13), we aren’t good for anything as believers if that describes us. 

It’s so interesting that Jesus follows the words of Matthew 5:13 with these “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.” Does that describe you? Does it describe me? Stars – set on fire and visible in the darkness from a million miles away. May God help us to be such people in this very dark world.