Meditation
 
A BRILLIANT STRATEGY                Dr. Joseph Stowell

You are the light of the world. Matthew 5:14
 
Although we need to continue to slug it out in the political arena, there is a more important strategy for impacting our culture. The most powerful weapon we have against the darkness a weapon that seems to have suffered as we have picketed and politicked as though revival comes through governmental power, is our privileged assignment to be lights in our world.
 
In Scripture, light is the penetrating, revealing, unquenchable force of a personal expression of rightness and truth. It is ignited in lives that are nonnegotiably committed to living biblically.

Interestingly, neither Scripture nor history demonstrates that political advantage accomplishes true spiritual gain, either personally or culturally.
Christ called us to the power of productive personal righteousness when He said, “You are the light of the world.
 
A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do men light a lamp, and put it under the peck-measure, but on the lampstand; and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works and glorify your Father who is in heaven” (Matthew 5:14-16 NASB 1977).

What would this light look like? Well, it would look like Jesus, who Himself was the “light of the world.” Letting Him shine through us means that our compassion is broad enough to cover even our enemies. We learn that from the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37).
 
Our love for the lost would be a compelling priority. The world would hear more about mercy and more about the love of the Cross than cross words about their wickedness.
 
We would aggressively care about the poor, oppressed, and victimized and stop marginalizing those who truly are in need with the rhetoric of “Why don’t they get a job?” Servanthood would replace self-centeredness. His grace, justice, and righteousness would rule our lives.

Now is the time to challenge the deepening darkness with the light of a new dawn, the light of Christ obviously evident in our own lives