Matthew 5:14-16 | From the Inside Out

Posts Tagged ‘Matthew 5:14-16’

What’s Your Title?

Posted in Encouragement, Excellence, God's Delight, God's Goodness, Godly Character, Holiness, Jesus, Self-Esteem, Uncategorized, tagged 2 Corinthians 5:17, Ephesians 2:10, Matthew 5:14-16, Our Identity in Christ, Saints on April 6, 2023| 36 Comments »

Have you noticed how many titles there are for God in the Bible—titles like Ancient of Days, Hiding Place, and Father of Glory?

In fact, there are hundreds of names and titles for him, and each is worthy of study, as it reveals facets of his character.

Scripture also refers to us, his people, by different titles. There’s value in carefully considering these also—titles like:

Sheep

This is one we’d rather not claim, but it’s true. On our own we act very much like sheep, tending to follow the crowd, react out of fear, dig in our heels with stubbornness, and make foolish choices.

And yet our Good Shepherd has purchased us at great price and made us his own. He actually takes delight in caring for us [1].

Perhaps you agree with me: I’ll gladly wear the humble title of sheep if it means I can live in his divine pasture!

Saints

When many of us visualize saints, we see practically-perfect, self-sacrificing people. Their halos may be invisible, but we’re sure they’re there.

In reality, the word saint simply means holy one, and holy means set apart.

That describes you if you’ve become a Jesus-follower. God clothes every believer in his Son’s righteousness, and places within his perfect nature [2].

To honor God for all he’s done, saints aspire to unwavering focus on him and on his people.

Masterpieces

“Since you are God’s idea, you are a good idea.”
Max Lucado, Cure for the Common Life, 26.

You may remember the Greek word used for masterpiece or workmanship in Ephesians 2:10: “poema.” And just as quality poems require much effort; God expended great effort to instill quality in each of his children. We are masterpieces, each one uniquely designed to be a heavenly piece of poetry on earth.

May others be blessed as they read the verses of our lives [3]!

Temples

God could have chosen anywhere in the universe as his dwelling place, among the galaxies of stars, towering mountain peaks, or peaceful tropical islands. Instead, the all-powerful, absolutely perfect King of the universe chose to live in you and in me.

Meditate on the wonder of that for a moment.

Light

Then consider the mesmerizing beauty of light in the golden glow of sunrise or radiant sunbeams soaring heavenward into infinity.

Our Savior, the Light of the world, shines with enthralling beauty, giving us “the light of the knowledge of God’s glory displayed in the face of Christ.”

In addition, he’s privileged us with the honor of reflecting his glorious light to others—the light of his compassionate love, effervescent joy, constant peace, and more [4].

Who will you shine on today?

New Creations

To create doesn’t mean to just improve something that already exists. It means to bring something out of nothing. God didn’t simply change us when we accepted Jesus into our lives; he created new persons! We are not the same people we were before saying “yes” to him [5].

“Marvel at the beauty of a life intertwined with God’s Presence.”
Sarah Young, Jesus Calling, 381.

* * *

Some of us don’t feel like new creatures, saintly masterpieces, or glowing light-bearers. Since we’re still capable of sin and fall short of God’s best, we’ve concluded he must barely put up with us out of his unfailing mercy.

NOT SO!

Think of the last time you saw a colorful butterfly, like the Tiger Swallowtail. Did you say, “Wow! Look at that transformed caterpillar!”

Of course not. Its former state probably didn’t even cross your mind. You saw the swallowtail for what it was in that moment, an exquisite creature of beauty and grace.

That’s how God sees you and me, dear readers, as expressed in these titles we’ve considered. The old is past; we’re new persons, living a new life, resplendent in Christ’s robe of righteousness [6].

May the true identity of who we are emphatically impact how we live.

[1] 1 Corinthians 6:19-20; Psalm 147:11

[2] Isaiah 61:10; Galatians 2:20

[3] Herbert Lockyer, Seasons of the Lord, 330.

[4] 2 Corinthians 4:6; Matthew 5:14-16

[5] Steve McVey, Grace Walk, 43.

[6] McVey, Grace Walk, 48.

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Star Quality

Posted in Encouragement, Excellence, Faith, Godly Character, Uncategorized, tagged Let your light shine, Matthew 16:18, Matthew 5:14-16, Philippians 2:15 on July 6, 2017| 14 Comments »

Hurricane Frances, 2004, provided Steve’s and my first experience with that level of storm, even though we’d lived in Florida nearly thirty years. For twelve hours we listened to the roar of the wind and the banging of storm shutters, because Frances did not whoosh through the state, she shuffled.

(Note the eye. That’s just slightly north of where we lived.)

Challenges continued after the storm, with a steam bath of heat and humidity compounded by the absence of electrical power for five or six days.

Even so, we celebrated:

Minimal damage–a mangled pool enclosure, many missing shingles, and a debris-filled yard. That was it.
A neighbor who shared his generator power with us, preserving the food in our refrigerator.
Time to rest after the ordeal of preparation; time to read and just be together.

The most memorable moment, perhaps, was the night we lathered up with Off, stood in the backyard, and stared into the cloudless heavens. (Plodding Frances had made a clean sweep of the sky on her way through.)

With the power out all along the coast of South Florida, more stars were visible than I thought possible to see without a telescope. Thousands upon thousands pierced every square inch of sky. Even one arm of the Milky Way spiral was discernible to the west.

Such an image is a worthy accompaniment to Philippians 2:15, where Paul urges us to be blameless and pure in a crooked and perverted generation, “among whom you shine like stars in the world” (emphasis added).

Paul surely had plenty of opportunity during his travels to contemplate the night skies. His view of the stars would always have been unencumbered by manmade light. And with all the ancients, he would have known that stars always shine brightest on the darkest nights.

So perhaps one inference we can make from Paul’s shine-like-stars encouragement: The brighter we shimmer with love, joy, and a positive outlook, the more we’ll stand out from those who focus on self, criticism, and negativity.

My thoughts turn toward those of you reading this right now who face dark circumstances in your lives. Every day you endure physical and/or emotional pain, yet you glow! You’re lit up by the Spirit within! And you scatter beams of grace to everyone around you–your family and friends, coworkers and neighbors. We bask in the light of your example and praise God for you.

Another inference we might make from Philippians 2:15: If only one pin-point star gleamed in the sky, we’d hardly notice. It’s the sheer number of stars that grabs our attention.

I wonder if Paul wanted us to contemplate the power of numbers. By the time he wrote to the Philippians, Christian churches had been established throughout much of the Roman empire. Today, thirty-seven million Christian churches spread across the globe*, and 2.3 billion people identify themselves as Christians**. That’s nearly one-third of all people on Planet Earth.

God has invited us to be part of a cosmos of believers—as grand as the night sky and awe-inspiring as the stars.

Just as the stars cannot be destroyed, nothing can destroy his church. Members may be persecuted, oppressed, and even murdered for their faith, but the church will not be extinguished (Matthew 16:18).

For 2000 years, kings, emperors, and dictators have tried. No one has succeeded. There are more believers in Jesus than ever.

True, people may scoff at or even refuse to listen to our words. But a shining example of star quality is difficult to refute—especially against a dark sky.

* * * * * * * * * *

Lord God, on any given day I fail to shine like the star you’ve created me to be. I want my words and actions to manifest YOU, to be a glimmer of hope, encouragement, and joy to others. Just as the stars continually gleam in the heavens, I pray for consistency in my life—consistency to rely upon you, my Source of delightful Light.