By Tom Shanklin

Arise, shine; For your light has come! And the glory of the LORD is risen upon you. For behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, And deep darkness the people; But the LORD will arise over you, And His glory will be seen upon you. (Isaiah 60:1-2 NKJV)

This morning I was praying about how we can effectively reach people for Jesus. I began to think about how it is not only the message that we have to give, but also the life which we live that speaks to to people. We are the light of the world. It we are not shining, there’s a problem!

We can spend all our energy cursing the darkness, fighting political battles, warring in the flesh … or we can do what Jesus said, “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.” (Matthew 5:16 NKJV) There is a simple way to combat the darkness of this world. Turn on the light!

As Christians, we need to allow God to cleanse our hearts, our motives, and our thoughts, so that our actions may accurately reflect the One who has sent us into a dark world. We need to allow His love to shine through us, so that the world may see that the Father has sent Jesus.

Love. That’s what the Gospel really is. God the Father loved us so much that He sent Jesus. Jesus loved us so much that He gave up His life on Calvary so that we might be forgiven and changed. Now, we are to carry on in their tradition. We are to love people. Then God’s glory will be seen upon us, and people will be drawn to Jesus.

It’s really not so hard. After all, we have the Helper, the Holy Spirit, living within. The love of God has been shed abroad in our hearts. We just need to rest in His love, and let it come out of us to touch others. That is how people can experience Jesus. Not through your arguments. Not through wrestling. But by experiencing the love of Jesus through you.

So, I want to encourage you. Love people today. Do something for them. Help them carry the load. Console them. Encourage them. Pray for them. And when they ask you why you are so nice, tell them, “Jesus loves you and so do I.”