Dave’s Monday Blast – May 10, 2021
In Philippians 3:8 the Apostle Paul makes this powerful statement: “I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.” Light was God’s first gift, His creative act. Light always comes at a cost, it always comes at the expense of that which produces it. An unlit candle does not shine, for burning must come before the light. And we can be of little use to others without a cost to ourselves. Burning suggests suffering, and we try to avoid pain at all costs.
We tend to feel we are doing the greatest good in the world when we are strong and fit for active duty and when our hearts and hands are busy with acts of service. Therefore…when we are set aside from that active service rhythm, we may feel that we are no longer of any use to God and are accomplishing little or nothing for His eternal Kingdom. What sets us aside? Illness, loss, pain, suffering, or perhaps circumstances outside of ourselves, things we simply cannot control. There are times when all of us will be set aside.
One of my favorite daily devotionals is entitled Streams in the Desert. To this topic: “Yet if we will be patient and submissive, it is almost certain we will be a greater blessing to the world around us during our times of suffering, pain and inactivity, than we were when we thought we were doing our greatest work. Then we are burning, shining brightly as a result of the fire.”
The truth is, the glory of tomorrow is often rooted in the drudgery of today. Most of us want the glory without the cross, and the shining light without the burning fire, but crucifixion comes before coronation. INTENTIONAL men of God know the stories of King David and our Savior Jesus; they both affirm that God has His processes used to shape us into His image, and they always include Some Burn. These are difficult days in which we find ourselves. Our routines, our service, our processes have been interrupted…yet our light must still shine. As we know, light shines brightest in the darkness.
