Shining for Him.

0.- Introduction.-

I remember when I was a little girl and young that in my church a hymn titled
Shine wherever you are

"Never wait for the moment of a great action,

Nor can your light go far;
From life to the small acts, give attention.
Shine in the place where you are.

1.- We are lights in the world: Let us read the passage in Matt 5:14-16.

You are the light of the world; a city set on a hill cannot
hide.
15No one lights a lamp and puts it under a bowl, but on the stand, and
it shines on all who are at home.
Let your light shine before men, so that they may see your good works.
works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.

First of all, to clarify, although we all know it, that although it is clearly stated here
that believers "are the light of the world", we do not have light in us
"JESUS IS THE SOURCE OF OUR LIGHT," as he himself said.
inJuan8:12 "Again Jesus spoke to them, saying: I am the light of the world; he who follows me
he will continue, he will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.
The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world.. The true light, which gives light to every man, was coming into this world.
We only reflect that light.

But what does it mean that 'we are the light of the world'?

I found some words from the Spanish theologian José Maria Martínez that illustrate very well
what is expected of us:
Jesus as a model is unsurpassed; but we are so imperfect that we never
we could be like him. We are not asked for that either... What is expected of us is that
let us be like him, "transformed into the same image" (But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.); that, despite
of our defects and weaknesses, are clearly seen in us, with
sufficient relief, the characteristic features of the Master; that it may also be from us
it was said one day of the first disciples: "It is clear that they have been with
JesusHch. 4:13In communion with him, we must be imbued with his
moral fragrance, a fragrance that, through us, must be perceived by all who see us
Rodean. This is indeed possible. (José Maria Martínez)

(throughout history there have existed)... humble Christians who, without having reached to be
heroes or having done great works, without being a David Livingstone, a Henry
Dunant (founder of the Red Cross) or a Martin Luther King, in their simplicity and in the
darkness of anonymity, they have shone through the solidity of their faith, through their fervor
spiritually and by the coherence of their life, ... These characteristics have made them
channels of blessing and encouragement for others. (José María Martínez).

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I love these three characteristics that help us shine:

Strength of faith:
1 Cor 16:13 'Be on guard, stand firm in the faith...'
2 Thessalonians 1:3 'We ought always to give thanks to God for you, brothers, as is'
worthy, for your faith is growing, and the love of each and every one of you
abundance for others...
1 Peter 5:9 "... stand firm in the faith..."
The story that Jesus told about the man who built on sand and on rock...
Matthew 7:24-29

Spiritual fervor:
According to the dictionary, fervor is: 'Enthusiasm or fervor with which something is done.'
... fervent in spirit, serving the Lord;
1Pe 4:8 'And above all things, have fervent charity among yourselves'ferventlove; for love will cover
multitude of sins
I have a prayer lately:Lord, grant me joy to serve you.

Coherence of their life:

May there be no difference between what we say and what we do.
I read that the word 'integrity' implies uprightness, goodness, honesty, someone in whom one can trust.
you can trust that when they make a promise they intend to keep it and that it is the
same person in private as what they are in public. Do you think we will shine if we have
A coherent life...? The gospel is to be lived in our "day to day."
2 Cor 8:21 "seeking to do things honestly, not only in the sight of the Lord but
also before men.

The text of Matthew 5 tells us that the light is meant to be set high and shine, not to
hide it, because "Everything that some people are going to know about God, they will know it, in
first term for you, for me and for our life! But do you think we can
to hide this light that Jesus has put in us? I would like to express how
pwe can hide the light (I heard these ideas in a sermon and I have adapted them
a little but they would look like this). We can hide the light and we actually hide it:

When we stay silent instead of explaining who the light is.

When we go along with the majority.
When we allow sin to darken our lives. (1st John 1:9)
When we ignore the needs of others.
When we are a "stumbling block" and not a beacon.

We have to be: Light in the home, Light in the neighborhood, Light at work, Light in the
institute, Light on Facebook, Light on Tuenti... (this is for the young ones).... Light... Light

Purpose of shining for Him: Our desire is that upon seeing 'our good works'
glorify God... so in some way we will have to explain to them that it is not
it's not just that we are very 'good people' for ourselves but that God has
transformed our lives. The lifestyle of believers must bring glory and
Honor God. But sometimes it will happen that 'the light reveals the sin of the
Others.” It already happened with Jesus himself:

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Jn 3:19 "And this is the condemnation: that the light came into the world, and men loved more
the darkness rather than the light, because their works were evil.
20 For everyone who does evil hates the light and does not come to the light, so that
his works should not be rebuked.

This is a warning not to think that the light we cast will always
to be well received, but Jesus' statement still stands for us: 'we are the light'
of the world.

I would like to share with you an illustration I read about the importance of being aware.
that we are the light:

The legacy of a noble.

In a certain European village located in the mountains some centuries ago, a nobleman
he asked what legacy he could leave for the citizens of that place. Finally
He decided to build the building for a church as a legacy.
The plans were kept secret until their complete construction. When the people
they gathered, they marveled at the beauty of the church. However, a keen observer
He asked, "Where are the lamps? How will this place be lit?"
Without answering, the noble pointed to some shelves on the wall; then he handed him a
lamp for each family to take to the place of worship and hang it in a
pared. "Every time you are here, the place where you are sitting will be illuminated,"
the noble explained. “Every time you are not here, the place will be dark....”

We are like stars in the firmament.

Let's read in Philippians 2:14-16 (NIV)

Philippians 2:14 'Do everything without complaining or arguing,'
so that you may be blameless and pure, children of God without fault in the midst of a
twisted and depraved generation. In her, you shine like stars in the
firmament
16 holding high the word of life.

In the RV version it says 'luminaries' but I prefer the word star... God
He sees us as stars shining for Him...

There are two places where I have seen the stars in all their splendor: in the Sierra de Cazorla
and in Villar (Galicia). In fact, in this last place we could walk at night without
need for flashlights. It was beautiful to look at the sky and in the midst of so much darkness see the
shining stars.
In the midst of this world darkened by sin, we believers are placed as
stars in the firmament.
Some texts that contrast darkness and light:

- Ephesians 5:8 "For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the
Sir; walk as children of light
- 1Thessalonians 5:5 "For you are all children of light and children of the day; we are not of the night"
night or of the darkness...
- 1 Peter 2:9 "But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation,
people acquired by God, so that you may proclaim the virtues of the one who has called you
he called from the darkness to his admirable light;

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Conclusion:
We haven't always been lights and stars: we live in a world where there is light and where
There is darkness, and you are either a child of the light or a child of the darkness.
How can you have this light in you?
Let us read 2 Corinthians 4:3-6 "But if our gospel is still veiled, it is veiled to those who are
they are covered; in which the god of this age has blinded the understanding of
the unbelievers, so that the light of the gospel of glory does not shine on them
of Christ, who is the image of God. For we do not preach ourselves
not to ourselves, but to Jesus Christ as Lord, and to ourselves as your servants for love
of Jesus. For God, who commanded that light should shine out of darkness, is
he shone in our hearts, for the illumination of the
knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.“

If you look inside yourself and do not feel the sin that separates you from God, the light of Christ does not
it can shine within you... you already have your own light. But if you see your need for cleansing and
forgiveness and to have a new life, then the light of Christ can fill you. You need
recognize your need, confess your sin, and accept God's forgiveness.

If you are already a believer, we just have to hold on tightly to the source of our light that
It is God Himself. We must know Him through the reading of the Bible and prayer.

While I was preparing this study, I received an email with a devotional from
Margarita Burt, a well-known biblical speaker, from whom I extracted the following:

3.- Let us ask for God's light upon us.

Let your work appear to your servants, and your glory to their children. Be the light of the Lord.
our God over us and the work of our hands confirms over us; yes,
"The work of our hands confirms" (Psalm 90:16, 17).
"It is beautiful to look at a person and see the work that God has done in their life ... No
Is there a greater shame than going through this world without allowing God to do His work in you?
our lives. This is the purpose of life, to find God and for Him to
transform. When we met him, how were we? How are we now? We want
being so changed that God may be glorified in the work He does in us, that it may be a
a work so evidently yours that there is no doubt whatsoever that God is in our
life..." Margarita Burt

I just finished reading the verse of the anthem at the beginning:

Shine in the place where you are

Never wait for the moment of a great action,
Not that your light can go far;
From life to the small acts, give attention.
Shine in the place where you are.

Chorus:
Shine in the place where you are,
Shine in the place where you are,
You can rescue some lost soul with your light,
Shine in the place where you are.

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