Well, It’s another Sunday morning. “So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. Do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men and being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.” Philippians, 2:1-8 (ESV)
I was pretty lucky growing up, not because we were wealthy and had everything we wanted though. We weren’t wealthy nor did we have everything that’s for sure, I was lucky because I had so many people around me that set a fine examples for my walk. See, all of my family, my mom and dad, my grandma and grandpa, my aunts and uncles, my cousins, and all my family friends set me on my path, they guided me along the way. They didn’t just do it for me, they did it for all of us kids that were around them. It was a way of life for all of us, it was how we were taught. It tells us this in Proverbs 22:6 (ESV), “Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it.”
Sometimes when I am writing these little messages in the early mornings I can still see all their faces and I can still hear their voices. I always smile and remember them and their love for all of us so fondly. It’s reminder of the path that they chose and walked so proudly. It’s a wonderful reminder of why I am walking the path I am on also. It was because if the life lessons I received along the way that stayed with me and guided me on my walk that helped me make better decisions. See, God gives us all the tools we need to make the right decisions, we just need to use them. The fact that so many people guided me and so many others in this direction is no accident, it was God’s will.
In Colossians, 3: 12-14 (ESV) it tells us of God’s direction, “Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.”
So, as I say so often, love one another, that’s what it’s all about. That’s what is missing in the world right now too. If we all spent more time sharing God’s word and His love and less time arguing and finding fault with others, the issues around us would simply go away. The fact is, it all starts with us and the example we set for others. It is all about how we treat others and how we would like to be treated.
We must be the beacon that they see. We must be the love that they feel. We must all be in the light of our great Lord and Savior that we follow. In Matthew, 5:15-16 (ESV) it tells us this when Jesus said, “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.”
Are you being the example God wants you to be? Are you guiding those around you on their path with love and kindness or are you showing them the path less kind to them in the long run? Whether you like it or not, you are someone’s light, you are the one setting the example for someone younger. They are watching and learning, choose your actions well. Be the light God ask us to be, that warm loving glow that makes you feel secure in your walk. Don’t expect others to see if you put a basket over your lamp, it just wont happen. Shine bright and share God’s word and his love with others.
We can read this truth in Psalm 119:105 (ESV) where we are told, “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.” We must share this light and help light those paths. I would love to do that right now, God truly loves each and every one of you and so do I.
