Do you ever go outside and look at the stars at night? Living in a large city with lots of street lights, buildings lit up and even billboards make it hard to truly appreciate the stars sometimes. I enjoy being in the mountains or at the beach, where there’s no competition for the majesty of the stars. I’m not really into astrology or the science behind stars, I just love the beauty of a star-filled night. When I was in Africa on a mission trip I was convinced God had placed thousands upon thousands more stars in the sky after I left America, because I’d never seen so many stars in the night sky.
God calls us to be like stars and,
Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.”
Philippians 2:14-16 tells us how we can let our light shine.
Do everything without complaining or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe as you hold out the word of life— in order that I may boast on the day of Christ that I did not run or labor for nothing.” [emphasis mine]
Curiosity got the best of me so I did a little research on stars. Did you know that in order for a star to shine bright where we see it’s light, it has to die. It burns up and as it burns we see its light from earth. You can read more than you ever wanted to know about stars here.
In the same way, if we are to shine brightly for the world to see, we must first die to self.
Many of us grew up singing Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star, but did we ever realize the very things we look at, are intrigued by and sing about are in the process of disappearing right before our very eyes? We’re called to do the same. John said it best in John 3:30,
He must become greater; I must become less.”
It will look different for each one of us. Some of us shine our light by working in ministry as a vocation. Others shine their light in a business office or school as they honor and respect those they work with every day. There are others who carry a meal to a single mom or visit the elderly in the nursing home. We each will shine our light in our own way but if we are shining it for the Lord, the result will be the same. Others will be drawn to it, thus drawn to the Lord.
How bright is your light shining? Are you willing to completely die to the flesh so your light may be bright before mankind, drawing them to Jesus? He gave it all for you [John 3:16]. What will you give in return?
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