Feb 28: Insight Post by Karenna Rowenhorst
Weekly Reading: Matthew 5:13-16
Friday Reflection
We Cannot Hide Our Faith: Jesus makes it clear that no one lights a lamp and hides it under a bowl. As Christians, we must not conceal our faith, but rather live it out publicly for others to witness and be encouraged by.
Friday Verse
Live wisely among those who are not believers, and make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be gracious and attractive so that you will have the right response for everyone. Colossians 4:5-6 (NLT)
Friday Questions
Are there areas in my life where I’ve been hesitant to share my faith? How can I boldly live out my faith in a way that encourages others to seek God?
Friday Insight Post
by Karenna Rowenhorst
As we all took shelter under the eave of the garage in the sudden summer rain, my daughter’s friend turned to his mom and asked, “Mom, do we believe in God?”. In this holy moment, all of us huddled together to stay dry, with the question about God hanging between us, I felt thankful for the chance to speak about what is bigger than us, deeper than the immediate tasks of life. I prayed a quick breath prayer, “Lord, help me.” and dove into the conversation.
Opportunities for sharing our faith come in many different forms. There are moments with strangers, or people you see often but still don’t know well, like the school bus driver or the grocery store clerk, but I’m fairly convinced that the best kinds of faith-sharing moments come with friends. We are called to be light to everyone, but people we are in actual community with can ask us questions, come back for a follow-up conversation, and they hopefully know our motives are true and filled with love.
The Matthew 5 passage this week talks about light and how we are to share our faith in God with others. We are compared to light. Light is a powerful analogy to use for what our role is as followers of Christ. Scientifically speaking, light has been described as both a wave and a particle. And spiritually speaking, I think there are different ways we can be light to others. We can have influence by reaching out to others to impact them (the wave) and by making life choices that others can see which point the way to Jesus (the particle). I think it’s important to note that we are not called to be like hammers, or earthquakes, or something else that could get your attention in a big, possibly (definitely!) jarring way. Light is powerful, but it is usually something you observe or feel and then respond to. God is not getting our attention through shame, hatred, isolation, or other cruel tactics, and He calls his followers to shine in a way that attracts and draws people in to learn more.
Do you think about how God can use your life to shine a way for others? Do you pray for opportunities to make waves for Jesus? Or to be a reflection of God’s character in the way you live? Do you have friends who need to hear about God’s love? If all your friends are already followers of Christ, then I’d like to challenge you to widen your circle. If we keep all the lights in one room, the rest of the city is dark. Let’s remember that there are situations and opportunities that God has uniquely placed us in, where we can have an influence for him.
It is powerful to see the description of Christ followers in Daniel’s vision of the future. Our light will shine bright.
“At that time Michael, the archangel who stands guard over your nation, will arise… Those who are wise will shine as bright as the sky, and those who lead many to righteousness will shine like the stars forever.” Daniel 12:1-3 (NLT)
We will shine because we reflect Jesus, who IS light. The source of light. We are like the moon, reflecting the radiance of the sun. We don’t produce light on our own, but we can reflect the glorious light that is Christ, the hope of the world.
“…I am the light of the world. If you follow me, you won’t have to walk in darkness, because you will have the light that leads to life.” John 8:12 (NLT)
I am praying today that we remain in God’s light so we can reflect His love out to the world.
Karenna Rowenhorst, MA
Senior Director of Education
New Hope Church
Lorton, Virginia
www.newhope.org