Arise, Shine, and Glorify Him!

Matthew 5: 14a; 16 “You are the light of the world. Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good deeds and moral excellence and (recognize and honor and) glorify your Father who is in heaven”.

Amid this global coronavirus pandemic there is a lot of anxiety, stress, fear, panic and uncertainty in the hearts of many. People are running around in a frenzy not knowing what to do. Many are going to be out of work, if they aren’t already. Praises to the Lord for those of you who have the option to work from home but for those of you who do not have that option, it can be quite scary not knowing how you will be able to pay your bills and get food for you and your children.I encourage you to stand on and depend on God and His word in these uncertain times.

Let us rise up and let our lights shine even in this chaos that’s going on around us. I can say that even in the midst of all this I still see God being glorified through His people. People are coming together to help others, offering words of encouragement, prayer and resources to those in need. People are coming up with new and creative ways to continue to be a light for the Lord and His Kingdom. Not far from my neighborhood, a lady has set up a produce stand in her front yard to give away food to those in need, our church is doing drive thru’s so we can continue to serve and meet the needs of the community, as well as, hosting drive in worship services (set up like the old drive in movie theatres), Rejoice 96.9 radio station is conducting a Kindness Challenge where participants are to submit their acts of kindness daily, gospel artists are streaming mini encouragement concerts and others are even helping to set up portable hand washing stations for the homeless.

Reform Baptist Pastor and Author John Piper once said “God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him”. This is a good time for us reflect on how our lives are glorifying God in these uncertain times. Because, as you can see, our normal routine has been interrupted and I believe that it is by no coincidence. Let’s put some things in perspective so we can further cultivate a lifestyle that will continually put His glory on display.

After all 1 Corinthians 10:31b (Amplified) encourages us to “do all to the glory of (our great) God”.

How can we stay connected to the Power Source so that we can continue to emit His light and put His glory on display to the world?

We can ensure our hearts are clean and our consciences are clear by:

1. Confessing sin – Psalm 51:4 ”Against You, You only have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight, so that You are justified when you speak (Your sentence) And faultless in Your judgement”

2. Forgiving Others – Ephesians 4:32b “forgiving one another (readily and freely), just as God in Christ also forgave you

3. Trusting God and His word – Romans 4:20 “But he did not doubt or waver in unbelief concerning the promise of God, but grew strong and empowered by faith, giving glory to God”

4. Producing Fruit – John 15:8 “My Father is glorified and honored by this, when you bear much fruit, and prove yourselves to be my (true) disciples. (see also Galatians 5: 22-23)

5. Giving Praise and Thanks – Psalm 50:23a “He who offers a sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving honors Me.

We can also serve others, share the gospel, and stay connected to Him. Putting these actions into place will help us continue to glorify God with our lives well after the pandemic has subsided. Let’s arise, shine and Glorify Him! And rest assured that this too shall pass!

Heavenly Father we thank you for the opportunity and the privilege to display your glory through our lives. We continue to stay in prayer for those in authority that they make wise and informative decisions concerning us. We lift up those who are sick and speak healing over them right now in the name of Jesus. For those who are not sick, we thank you for giving them strength and protection. Father we lift up those who have lost loved ones to this virus and we thank you for granting them peace and comfort in their time of bereavement. We thank you for our physical and financial provision and thank you for your peace all around the world! In Jesus’ name we pray! Amen!