Greetings my brothers and sisters! I hope that you are all doing well as you read this and if not, may the Lord sustain you in every way.

Here we are in the month of July and no sooner that we get into the month of July, we find ourselves celebrating the Fourth of July, Independence Day! I remember as a young man that our family always got together on the Fourth of July at our parents home to have a huge BBQ. The Fourth of July was also the day our parents celebrated their wedding anniversary. I vividly remember all the food, conversation and  music that was coming from every part of my parents home. Being the Fourth of July, as soon as it got dark we would shoot off the fireworks that everyone brought. We would always make sure we were done in time to see the fireworks that were shot from Cashman Field. Las Vegas wasn’t as big back then and we could easily see the huge fireworks light the night time sky as they were being shot from Cashman Field. As we watched our own fireworks go off, and those that lit up the sky from Cashman Field, you would hear the Ooohs and Aaahs. Then just as fast as they came, the fireworks were over and the Ooohs and Aaahs stopped; another Fourth of July was in the books. Sadly, that’s how it is for some of us Christians.

There is that time when we first come to know the Lord as our Savior, we feel His cleansing power come over our hearts and we become like those huge fireworks that light the sky at Disneyland; exciting and filled with awe. But as life goes by, for some of us, we discover that we have lost our fire, our excitement, our awe and darkness comes in. Jesus said in Matthew 5:14-15 that we are to be the light of the world.  He goes on to say that we are not to hide our light under anything but instead we are to let our light be see by all.

Today we find many churches looking to make sure that their sanctuaries are lit just right with all the newest technologies that are available to us. The lighting has to be just right so we can set the right mood for whatever we want to convey. But I wonder if we are sadly missing the point Jesus was making when He said we are to be the light of the world. 

No matter how beautifully lit our churches become, no matter if we have the newest lighting technology, if the light of Christ is not seen by the world when we walk out of our church buildings, what good is all of that then?

The Lord said to the church at Laodicea in Revelation 3;15-16 “I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm – neither hot nor cold – I am about to spit you out of My mouth.” OUCH, those terrifying words for any church to hear yet I wonder if that is exactly what the Lord may be saying to His church today. I believe the key word that we may need to pay close attention to in this verse  is about. 

Sometimes I find it a little difficult to see or tell the difference between us Christians and the worldly people in our churches; we at time’s kind of blend into each other. Yes, our church sanctuaries may be beautifully lit but many of the people inside are as lights on dim or ready to go out.

Sometimes I find that the light of my Christianity gets so covered with the bugs of this world that it loses the brilliance it once had. 1 John 1:6-7 “If we claim to have fellowship with Him yet walk in darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth. But if we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, the blood of Jesus, His Son, purifies us from all sin.”

David declared in Psalm 18:28 “You, O Lord, keep my lamp burning; my God turns my darkness into light.”

Jesus Christ is the brightness of God’s glory and the express image of His person and if you have made Jesus the Lord and Savior of your life, He now lives in you and that same brightness can shine through us.

Can we think of the last time we heard any Ooohs and Aaahs come from those around us because the light of Christ in us was shinning so bright in our lives? Maybe that time has come for His church, you and me, to cry out to the Lord so that He would cause our light to burn bright and clear once again, that all would see His glory in our lives at all times, not on special occasions. Have a great month my dear friend!!!