On Sunday night, I was up late talking to some good friends of mine, and eventually one of the guys looked at me and said, “Art, what do you think the world will be like in 30 years? Do you think it’ll be worse?"
That was a tough question. Of course, I’d like to say that things will get better. That there will be less war, less poverty, less violence, less teenage depression- these are all things I wish I could honestly say, but I can’t. Unless Jesus comes back, I don’t think I’ll be able to call my friend up thirty years from today and say, “Hey buddy, I was wrong, times really have changed for the better!”
It seems like things just get worse every day… It doesn’t even take a big age gap for us to see a major difference in the way younger generations are living. I can look at the middle school students in my church, who are only about 5-7 years younger than me, and the fact is they’re facing things I never would’ve IMAGINED in sixth or seventh grade. And we can’t avoid the problem by saying that it’s only in the cities, and moving to the suburbs- because even in my upper-middle-class, fairly rural town, I’m hearing horror stories from the middle schools.
Sadly enough, Britney Spears said it best when she said “Living in sin is the new thing.” Let’s face it… if sin is darkness, then our society is heading for nightfall. The world’s getting more selfish, more hateful, and more promiscuous- and as a result, more hurt, more defensive, more angry, and most of all, more in need of God than ever.
In the midst of all of this, I believe there’s a calling. In fact, I believe we were given our calling over two thousand years ago, when Jesus gave the sermon on the mount.
"You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men..."
Matthew 5:14-16 (NIV)
Sin is darkness, but we are light. It's as simple as that... As this world gets darker and darker, our every good deed should "shine before men."
Let me point something out. No one needs a flashlight in the middle of the day, but you need a flashlight at night, when it gets darker [I know, very simple. And obvious]. But so, as this world gets darker, we have a chance to shine even brighter... When everyone else in the world is selfish, our service will touch hearts. When everyone else in the world is hateful, our love will give hope. When everyone else in the world is promiscuous, our purity will be a testament of change.
Jesus left us a task- to be light. And He gave us the power- the Holy Spirit. So, let's shine before men.
With love, learning to shine,
Art