Tag Archives: Go Light Your World

Light in darkness

The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. John 1:5

YOU are the light of the world. Matthew 5:14

Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. Matthew 5:15

These truths have been the theme of Go Light Our World^TM (GLOW) since its inception. Many of our writings have focused on the light of Jesus shining not only into the world, but also into the depths of our own darkness, pain, and sorrow. It is a very personalized aspect of Jesus, the light of the world, illuminating the dark areas of our life, including not only the cross we bear but also shining his convicting light on our sin of wrong doing and wrong believing. His Word is a lamp unto our feet so we don’t stumble. It is a light unto our path so we are not without direction in our lives. What a gracious God we have that cares for us enough to bring us out of our personal darkness.

Jesus said, “Come to me and I will give you rest.” But His light, expressed all throughout the gospel, was never intended to be simply a comforter we wrap around ourselves. It is living hope for a desperate and dark world! He says, “You are the light of the world.” Our response is to take His light and run to the darkness. The darkness might not understand the light any more than we fully grasp the light in the darkness of our personal struggles. None the less, the darkness will not overcome the light.

The physician Luke wrote:

“The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free…” Luke 4:18

Adlai Stevenson, in tribute to Eleanor Roosevelt upon her death said, “It is better to light a candle than to curse the darkness.” Shouldn’t that be our reply as well?! Instead of cursing the darkness in your own life, be it depression, pain, disappointment, or other woe, let the light of Jesus shine in you and it will in turn shine into our world. It is the reason you were created.

There is a candle in every soul
Some brightly burning, some dark and cold.
There is a Spirit who brings a fire,
Ignites a candle and makes His home

So carry your candle, run to the darkness
Seek out the helpless, confused and torn
Hold out your candle for all to see it
Take your candle, and go light your world.

(Chris Rice lyrics, Go Light Your World)

Our Role in Keeping Evil In Check

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“Some believe it is only great power that can hold evil in check. But that is not what I have found. I have found that it is the small everyday tasks of ordinary folk that keep the darkness at bay. Small acts of kindness and love.”
(JRR Tolkien)

There was a moving story moving across the internet years ago. A high school girl was walking home behind a fellow classmate. He was not popular at all and in fact had no real friends. At one point in the homeward journey he dropped his books on the sidewalk and she stopped to help. As she helped, she showed interest in him and spoke some brief words of encouragement. The young man confided in her that she was the first person to show any compassion to him, and that in fact he had been intending to commit suicide that evening when he got home from school. But he said, her one act of kindness had given him renewed hope.

Go Light Your World today. And let’s pay attention to those around us. There is more at stake than is apparent to the eye!

Do What Jesus Said: Feed the Hungry…

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Jesus said, “For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.” Matthew 25:35-36

The context of this passage (verses 31-46) is Jesus, sitting on His throne, separating out people into two groups: 1) those who fed the hungry and quenched the thirsty, invited in strangers, clothed the naked, looked after the sick, and visited those in prison and 2) those didn’t. The reward for those in group one is eternal life but not for those in group two.

The interesting thing about this is not about good deeds per se. It is about loving Jesus. He says, “For I was hungry, I was thirsty.” The second group protested, saying “But WHEN did we see you hungry, thirsty, etc). Jesus replies, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’ Jesus so loves us that He associates our pain and suffering with His own. We don’t simply minister to others because they have needs. But when we minister to others we minister to our Lord.

We realized this when we first started mission trips to post Katrina New Orleans. Confronted with miles and miles of destruction, the overwhelming immensity of the needs was immediately apparent. We had the same revelation working with the local church in Bolivia: so much desperate need and so little resources. But the objective was not simply to help people. The objective was to love those Jesus loves and so show it in practical ways.

Someone said, “Think globally, act locally.” The way I see it we must do both. Who do you know who needs practical encouragement (resources, time, compassion)? Perhaps they aren’t actually hungry or thirsty in the physical sense, but you know they are emotionally. Look at people through Jesus’ eyes and you will see a very different world than the one you have been looking at.

Are you partnering with a reputable nonprofit agency to minister to others in Jesus’ name across the globe? Go Light Your World supports a mission in Bolivia that provides a hot meal, showers, literacy programs, well child clinic, and worship and prayer for about $2 per day per person. And also literacy and self sufficiency education for Gypsy children in Bulgaria. (See Giving link above.) Compassion International and World Vision are two large nonprofits that rescue moms and children from trafficking and cycles of dependency and abuse. Prison Fellowship helps care for children and families of the incarcerated. We have so much to give and so many ways to let our light shine while doing what Jesus said. Don’t wait. Start today. Ask God to show you the world through His eyes.

“I am only one; but still I am one. I cannot do everything; but still I can do something; and because I cannot do everything, I will not refuse to do the something that I can do.” Author, Edward Everett Hale

Going Home!

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Ten weeks ago I had no clue I had a deadly disease. Eight weeks ago I was being treated for Leukemia. Today I am in remission and ready to go home. We are so thankful for God’s faithfulness, thousands of prayers (even from scores of people we don’t even know), a great medical team here at Mercy, countless get well cards, and practical expressions of love. We are also thankful for the relationships that have been formed (some for a short season, some for longer), and for many opportunities to share God’s love, truth, and grace. . . and to receive blessings and lessons learned too.

Blessings always travel on two-way streets.

As we were telling Hector, an environmental services worker here, it is the same Jesus who bore the weight of the cross 2000 years ago who has carried the weight of this cancer. We could not have done this well without the power, grace and guidance of His Spirit.

Next stop will be Iowa City Hospital for a consultation about my rare chromosomal condition and the discussion about stem cell transplantation. More chemo is also in the works over the next few months.

So now we go to another mission field, knowing that what Nurse Naomi shared with us is true:

“I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my loving eye on you.” Psalm 32:8

This is the truth behind Go Light Your World ministries; the light of Jesus illuminates and dispels darkness. We each have a candle.

Go Light Your World.