shining bright

Did you have fun at Edge last night? We talked about how we live in a world that is dark because of sin that separates us from God. When we say that the world is dark, that means it is hopeless, sad, and dead. But then Jesus came and called Himself the light of the world (John 8:12)! Jesus said that if you love Him, He will forgive the sins that separate you from God. He'll put His light inside of you, meaning you will have hope in Jesus! This is the hope that this world is not all God has for you and that heaven waits for you.

And then, something wonderful happens. Jesus says we are "the light of the world" (Matthew 5:14) if we know Him. What a beautiful thing that first Jesus says He is the light of the world and then calls us the same thing! That's because when you choose to live a life for Jesus, He puts His light (hope) inside of you.

When I was in college, my mom would always tell me to "be shiny for Jesus." What does it mean to be shiny for Jesus? It means to live in a way that shines who Jesus is. And this brings me to my main point. You can tell yourself over and over again to shine the light of Jesus, but if you don't know what Jesus was about, you're going to have a hard time! When you want to figure out how to be shiny, go back to basics. Spend your time getting to know Jesus better and the shininess will follow.

I suggest asking God to show you who Jesus really is and reading the book of John in the Bible. John will tell you how Jesus was quite extraordinary and rocked the world of the people who knew Him. I have a feeling that if you let Him, He'll rock your world, too, and you'll find yourself super shiny.