It's Our Time to Shine

You may remember the Sunday School song we sang as kids…
"This little light of mine, I’m going to let it shine…Let it shine, let it shine, let it shine."I believe this is the directive for the OMN today. It is our time to Arise and SHINE.
In the powerful Sermon on the Mount, Jesus declares, You are the light of the world. He follows that pronouncement with this commanding instruction, …let your light shine before others. What perfect words for us in our dark and dim world. Our world could use some light!

We are told to let our light shine, and if it does, we won’t need to tell anybody it does. Lighthouses don’t fire cannons to call attention to their shining, they just shine. Dwight L. Moody

During our recent 2017 Network Summit, I encouraged 4 ways as ministers we can keep our lives shining brightly.

WE SHINE OUT OF CONNECTION: 2 Corinthians 3:18 (TLB) …we can be mirrors that brightly reflect the glory of the Lord.” We shine as bright as our relationship with the ultimate light of the world, Jesus. Building time into our lives to keep the connection healthy and vibrant must be a priority.
WE SHINE OUT OF CONVICTION: Proverbs 13:9 The light of the righteous shines brightly…Committing to godly values and virtues will keep your light bright in an otherwise dim, drab and dark world. It is His righteousness, not my self-righteousness that keeps the light bright in my attitudes and actions.
WE SHINE OUT OF COURAGE: Acts 4:13 When they saw the courage of Peter and John…that these men had been with Jesus. We get our SHINE ON…when we take bold and big steps of faith: speaking up, standing out, staying the course, starting something new or sharing your talent or treasure. People will “see your good works and glorify your heavenly Father.” It takes faith and confidence to do this daily.
WE SHINE OUT OF COMPASSION: Ephesians 4:32 Be kind and compassionate to one another…Acts of compassion draw people, not creeds. It is acts of kindness, it is acts of help that make us shine bright. It can be heard in our tone of voice and seen in our willingness to listen and lend a hand. Compassion not condemnation will make your light shine brightly.

Renown British Journalist, Malcolm Muggerridge, was asked once in a television interview, “What do you want most out of life?” His response was simple but profound, “I should like my life to shine…”
IT IS OUR TIME TO SHINE!