Let your light so shine before men that others may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in Heaven.  —  Matthew 5:16

The Bible says that God put light bearers in the heavens.  They separate the day from the night, help us count the days, years, and seasons.  Genesis 1:14 says they do one more thing as well . . . they give us signs.

Today, I watched an amazing event.  I watched the moon completely block the Sun’s light from being seen.  It happened in a little band all the way across the United States of America.  The Sun, even though it was right where it has always been, giving off the same light it always has, got blocked.  For a few minutes, the moon allowed no light to pass to the inhabitants of Earth. 

I believe it was a sign.  Right now, our great nation gives off no light to the rest of the world.  It seems like there used to be an overall caring about people.  We would hurt with hurting people and weren’t so quick to finish off a person while they were down.  News stories weren’t mostly negative.  We were once a nation that really cared about reaching the lost, healing the sick, and helping our fellow man.  Yet, right now, in a country where 75% of the people identify as being Christian, we are way more concerned with politics than we are being a light.  We are in the direct path of the Son blocking His light.  We’d rather be right than lay down our own lives for another.  Greater love hath no man than he give his life for a friend (John 15:13).  Read the main verse up top one more time.

I don’t really get where it all went wrong.  I guess it’s like anything else; it’s just a slow, gradual fade.  If I had to attempt to put a face to it, I think we have fallen for an American version of Christianity.  It is basically the American Dream sprinkled with the bits and pieces of Christianity that we like.  We think we can have Him plus this comfortable, prosperous (our version of prosperity, not His) life, and we can have it all right now with little to no effort.  Just repeat a prayer and all the work is done.  We are now entitled to a great life here and a great life in eternity.  We think we can live however we want and get whatever we want, just continue to believe in your own version of who Christ is, and he’ll “bless” you.  The only problem with that is it isn’t in the Bible.  He calls for laying it all down at the foot of the cross.  He calls for death, burial, and resurrection.  He calls for exchanging your desires for His desires.  Selfish, entitled Americans don’t like that very much.

But here we are.  People who supposedly know Jesus and are supposed to be representing Him aren’t allowing His light to be seen by others.  We have Christians who think that homosexuals, drug addicts, prostitutes, cursers, drinkers, and liars can’t be saved.  If they do get saved, we immediately condemn them if they don’t change immediately.  All I know is that it took me 15 years after receiving Jesus Christ to overcome sexual immorality.  It took almost 10 years to stop lying on a consistent basis.  It even took me 5 years to even pick up a Bible and read it for myself.  I certainly didn’t mature as a believer immediately.

Sometimes I wish I had overcome these things quicker.  I beat myself up an awful lot for not overcoming basic spiritual hurdles more quickly.  I still hate the fact that I just wasted 5 years and I could have studied and possibly know Him right now even better than I do.  But, then again, I turn around and I thank Him for taking so long.  I thank Him for being so patient with me.  What this does is make me love Him so much more.  It makes me want to be patient with others.  I don’t care if it takes years.  I just want to keep shining His light and pray that it changes the people I come into contact with.  I pray that as I preach, the light in me just shines brightly.  I pray that as I teach, my light shines.  I pray that this light I have inside of me affects every person I meet.  I have to believe that it can do for others what it did for me.  I have to believe that it changes people.

For a couple of minutes, just about everybody stopped hammering on each other to witness in the heavens exactly what the people on earth, especially in the United States of America, are doing . . . blocking the light of Jesus Christ.

In seven years another eclipse will cross this great nation.  Their paths make an X.  The X could mean the U.S. is a target of destruction, and God is crossing out our once great country.  I am reading Jeremiah right now.  He pled and pled for Israel to turn from their wicked ways.  But, because they went to church and did religious things for God, they all thought they were exempt from His wrath.  Nobody would listen to Jeremiah and it sure seems that nobody is listening right now.  Then again, the X marks the spot of treasure on some maps.  Maybe over these next seven years we as a nation turn back to Him.  Maybe revival falls upon us once more and a spiritual awakening occurs. 

Today, if you call yourself a Christian, let your light so shine before men that others will see your good deeds and glorify your Father in Heaven.

If my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sins and will restore their land.  – 2 Chronicles 7:14

Later

Adam