Rejoice in the Light

II Corinthians 3:18
And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.  

Today’s Reading: Matthew 5:1-16

There is no other teachings like Jesus’ lessons. I wonder what the disciples were thinking when Jesus sat them down on that mountainside and begin teaching them about the beatitudes. And aren't the beatitudes the opposite view of how the world sees people. The world promotes famous people, rich people, outspoken people---no matter if their life seems to be good or bad. In fact don’t we publicize people’s demise? It seems that we track the ones that are falling down in life and then question why they can’t seem to get it together. I have to admit that I have been guilty of it, I have watched the news and wondered why they can’t just pull it together when I should have been on my knees in prayer for them.

And what about when Jesus gets to the part about being persecuted for his sake and that we are to rejoice and be glad during those times. Really Jesus? You want me to sing your praises as people are stabbing me in the back? I can answer this one----yes I do! Jesus said in verses 11 and 12 “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.” I have to admit that in the last year I have been working on this one and although I have fallen short many times and allowed people and things to get the best of me, I have seen what a difference this kind of attitude can have on me and the people around me. When you begin to identify what is happening to you when you are being persecuted, when you begin to recognize it for what it truly is, then there is an overwhelming sense of peace and freedom that comes with that. I have come to realize that sometimes the people that are attacking you don’t even realize what they are doing and who they are being used by. So open up your spiritual eyes, know that when you are being insulted, being persecuted, being talked about, or being treated unfairly that there is something bigger going on here. This is happening to you because of your love for Jesus, so recognize it for what it is and rejoice because of this. People don’t look at what is happening to you, they look at your reaction to what is happening, make your reaction one of faith and love.

I find it extremely interesting that Jesus moves from teaching the beatitudes to teaching the disciples that they are to be the salt of the earth and the light to the world. Why? In my opinion it was Jesus saying that even though you will be persecuted, rejoice and be glad because you are the light that will continue to shine on this earth. Me living in you will make you different from everyone else and you will lead many to me by letting your light shine. However, Jesus reminds us that even though people see our deeds, we are not to take credit for it, people should praise Jesus as a result. I am reminded of a good friend that always had people telling him everything about their life, even strangers would come up to him in public and begin to tell him their life story. We were talking about this one day and he jokingly said I don’t know why people do this, is there something about me that makes people want to tell me their problems? I actually witnessed a few of these encounters and it was definitely odd, however, when I came across II Corinthians 3:18 I knew the answer to his question. It is not him at all, it is the light that shines from within him. In fact, they don’t see him at all, they just see Jesus, and isn’t that how we should all be. The closer we get to Jesus, the more we reflect his light. In this dark world we have no other choice but to continue to allow our light to shine in order to light the path that will lead others to our Savior, Jesus Christ. With rejoicing and gladness we can even lead our adversaries to Christ in the midst of persecution---nothing is impossible when we allow Jesus to truly work through us!

With much love and blessings!