To Shine As Lights

The other day I was in a bible study with some friends.  Our conversation ended up taking us to Romans 1: 21-23.  As the group was discussing these verses the Lord opened my eyes to something I had not seen before.  

Recently I've been praying and putting into practice (or at least learning to sometimes put into practice) Phil 2:14-16 Do all things without complaining and disputing, that you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, holding fast the word of life, so that I may rejoice in the day of Christ that I have not run in vain or labored in vain.  

Complaining and grumbling come easy to me.  I've been so comfortable in this life and in this society it is very easy to make oneself comfortable.  So, when the Lord allows things into my life that ruffle my feathers I complain.  As I have recently begun to desire to live according to the exhortations in Phil 2:14-16 I've also been reading in Exodus.  The Israelites were all about complaining and not trusting in God.  You know, it's true, when you see your sin on someone else it is ugly and my tendency is to judge that person or persons.  Usually it is on a living person I see my sin being displayed, but in this case it is through a generation long gone but praise be to God who recorded their lives for me to observe and learn.

Three days after the Lord parted the Red Sea for the Israelites to cross over before Pharaoh's army and then He closed waters as the army was crossing over to kill them, the Israelites were complaining because they had no water to drink.  If God can part the Sea can He provide some water for the people to drink.  Don't you just want scream, "Wake up!  You just saw the Lord do amazing things, why do you doubt, why do you grumble?

Yet I see the Lord work amazing circumstances in my life then I turn around three days later to complain about the little things that go wrong in my life.  The Lord is good.  I, too, need to trust in Him in all things.

It's interesting to me the word says, Do all thins without complaining and disputing, that you may become blameless and harmless...

Harmless or innocent of wrong doing.  Literally this means without any mixture of deceit. When I complain I'm saying, "God Your not doing enough."  I'm not glorifying God. I'm deceiving myself and others who may be around me into believing God is not good all the time.

This brings me back to Romans and the Lord opening my eyes to something I hadn't seen before.  Romans 1:21 says, because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened.

I know that this verse is not talking about me, it is talking about those who practice sin willingly and purposefully, but it did shed light on 1 Thess 5:16-18 Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

There's a contrast in behavior here that the Lord wanted me to see, the behavior of a wicked man verses the behavior of a child of God.  The wicked man in Romans "did not glorify God, nor were thankful," whereas, the child of God in 1 Thess is exhorted to "rejoice always, [and] in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you."

So as a child of God I am to rejoice always, and my rejoicing is from the understanding given to me that God is always good, He is faithful and true and I can trust in Him in every circumstance.  Then there are the gifts God has given me, the promises of His word, His presence and I could go on and on.  I am to give thanks in everything.  My life has been saved and redeemed, I'm a child of God, a friend of the King and one day my salvation will be complete when this flesh dies and I'm in the physical presence of Christ.  I am to be thankful for the hope that is in me because one day I will be eternally delivered from this body of death and the sorrow we experience on this earth.  

But that is not all. I am also told to pray without ceasing.  It's pretty cool this exhortation is sandwiched between rejoice always and in everything give thanks, because it seems to me that there are times when things are extremely hard and rejoicing and being thankful are the last things that come to mind.  It is in those times, great and small, that we should be praying. Praying for mercy, praying for grace, for the Lord's help to endure and to glorify Him in the process, knowing it is His promise to never leave us nor forsake us and that He delights to be given access into our hearts to mold and shape us into something of beauty.

The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul; the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple; the statutes of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes; the fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever; the judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether.  More to be desired are they than gold, Yea, then much fine gold; sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb.  Moreover by them Your servant is warned, and in keeping them there is great reward.  Ps 19:7-11

Wouldn't you agree?

Be encouraged to rejoice always, pray without ceasing and in everything give thanks, so that you may shine as lights in this world.  

CC