LIGHTED TO SHINE

 There is a strange substance in chemistry known as selenium.  When placed in the dark, it serves as an insulator and electricity cannot pass through it.  But as soon as light is flashed upon it, it becomes a conductor and an electric current can flow through it. Jesus stated in John 8:12, "I am the light of the world.  Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life."Then He commanded us to: "Let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven" (Matt.5:16).  In God's world, you and I are just like a piece of selenium.  If we stay in the dark and do not allow the Light of Christ to shine upon us, we become insulators.  No current of love will be able to flow through us and the world will not see the Christ!  But as soon as we subject ourselves to His Light, we become conductors of God's love in a dark world.  I fear the Christian today has become more of an insulator than a conductor of Light.  We seem to be more concerned about our buildings or our man-made creeds than about bringing others to a saving faith in Christ.

     Canon Weded tells a parable of a lifesaving station.  It was established on a dangerous seacoast where many ships had been wrecked.  Again and again its brave volunteers went into dangerous waves to rescue many from drowning.  Often those who were saved joined the corps and, as it grew, it put up sheds for its boats and a shelter for those pulled from the sea.  Later, it erected a building where the victims of shipwreck could be made more comfortable.  The members took great pride in their building. So they added eating facilities, game rooms and a lounge.  As the station grew in prestige, others wanted to join.

     In time, the members hired workers to do the lifesaving while they kept up the facilities.  One day the members met and decided to discontinue the station's lifesaving feature altogether.  They wanted it to become more of a club-like atmosphere.  But a number of them protested, arguing that they had abandoned their primary objective of saving lives.  So they resigned and started a real lifesaving station down the coast. But as the years passed, the new station went through the same development until another group pulled out and started over. 

     If you visit that seacoast today, you will find a whole series of exclusive clubs, up and down the shore.  None of these clubs have much interest in lifesaving any more, although there are still many shipwrecks in those waters needing lifesavers.

     Philip Bliss penned these words: "Trim your feeble lamp, my brother; some poor sailor tempest tossed, trying now to make the harbor, in the darkness may be lost."  The world has lost the faith because the Church has lost its fire. We have been Lighted to Shine by the Light of Life.

      Let us seek once again to be re- ignited by the power of the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:8) so we might bring the Light of Life to this sin-dark world.