Tuesday, February 14, 2023
Let the Light Shine Through
In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father. (Matthew 5:16 NLT)
A Sunday school teacher said to her class of young students, “Can any of you tell me what a saint is?” One of the girls in the class thought about some stained glass windows of the apostles that she saw. So she said, “Those are people that the light shines through.”
That is true. We might be tempted to put people like Peter, James, John, Matthew, and Paul on pedestals. When we read about them in the Bible, they seem like superhuman individuals. But they were ordinary people like us. They made mistakes, and the Bible is honest about the mistakes they made.
But they also were saints. And if you are a Christian, then you’re a saint too. Saint is simply another word for a follower of Jesus Christ.
The greatness of the disciples wasn’t because of who they were. It was because God’s hand was on them. The apostle Paul wrote, “Remember, dear brothers and sisters, that few of you were wise in the world’s eyes or powerful or wealthy when God called you. Instead, God chose things the world considers foolish in order to shame those who think they are wise. And he chose things that are powerless to shame those who are powerful” (1 Corinthians 1:26-27 NLT).
These weren’t perfect people; they were ordinary people. But God did extraordinary things through ordinary people. God seems to go out of His way to choose unexpected people to go to unexpected places to do unexpected things.
Jesus did not call the apostles because they were great; they were great because Jesus called them. It is not the instrument but the One who holds the instrument. Before we can change the world, Jesus must first change us. Then God can take us, despite our flaws and shortcomings, and use us for His glory.
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