You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden…let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.
- Matthew 5:14, 16
Have you ever been to a birthday party where the host (usually the parents) thought it would be funny to use trick candles on the birthday cake? The birthday boy gets all excited when the cake is set before him, everyone sings the “Happy Birthday” song and all the attention is focused upon him. When the song ends, he sucks in the air and blows proudly over the candles to blow them out. He leans back and lo and behold, the candles are still burning brightly. He tries again. No go. And again. Giggles start to bubble up from amongst his friends. One of two things happens. Either he continues to blow harder and harder with each attempt until someone tells him they’re trick candles or he figures it out and tries to laugh it off. Either way, there on that cake, the candles are still burning brightly.
In our Christian walk, Satan will try to blow out the light within us. Strong winds disguised as a break up, financial trouble, a loss of a job or a contract, or a positive test result will enter our lives and seem to be a constant flow that never gives up. But the light that the Lord ignited inside of us is like those trick candles. It may flicker, it may seem to dim, it may look like it’s going out, but that light will not go out.
But let us not boast and be prideful in that knowledge, because it is not in our own strength that the candle still burns. It is the strength of the One who ignited it. And when we withstand everything Satan and this world throws at us, it is our Father in heaven who gets the glory.
Prayer:
Lord ,thank you for letting the light you have ignited within me continue to shine like those trick candles. Thank you that it has withstood the strong winds of my past and for the knowledge that it will continue to withstand the strong winds in the future. Let it shine so brightly that others cannot help but to see your goodness within it.
Question:
What are the strong winds (your fears and anxieties) in your life that test the light within you?
Challenge:
Write out those strong winds and share them with someone close to you. Ask them what their strong winds are and pray for each other.
Outreach Challenge:
When you’re at a grocery store or fast food restaurant, buy a few $5 gift cards and keep them on you. When you see someone struggling on the street, in need of food, hand them the gift card.
