Image from snowmobiling of Eradio and Nellie
We Preach Jesus as Lord
From 2 Corinthians 4:3-6:
And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. For we do not proclaim ourselves; we proclaim Jesus Christ as Lord and ourselves as your slaves for Jesus' sake. For it is the God who said, "Let light shine out of darkness," who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.
Nellie and I did something we never dreamed we do just last week. In a trip to Colorado, on the day before we returned home, we bundled ourselves up in clothing we had bought to play in the snow, and if that was not enough we squeezed ourselves into snow jumpsuits. We had to wear a helmet, and we bought snow goggles. What made the adventure a bit scary was the fact that goggles tend to fog up to the point of limited vision. The guide said that if we wore our glasses those would certainly fog up and we'd see nothing. Well, as the driver of our snowmobile I did not like the idea of no vision, especially as we were going up the side of a mountain to the Continental Divide. Everything was too beautiful not to see. The idea of a "veiled gospel" is not a good idea. And an even worse idea is to let "the god of this world," read, Satan, to blind "the minds of unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God." This is where we, as believers, not blinded, step in. It is through our witness of our words and actions that we reflect the image of God in Christ. We should be living lives that are the only sermons many people will see. If we stumble around in darkness like everyone else, we are serving no purpose; for as verse 6 clearly states, "For it is the God who said, 'Let light shine out of darkness.'" Our hearts should be beaming out the light and love of Jesus who reflects the glory of God.
And as believers who gather to worship God, our churches should be lighthouses of this same glory. Let it not be as the story goes, the pastor asked for any prayer requests and a little child said, "I'd like to ask for more smiling faces!" A frowning congregation of people reflect no light nor love; even if one is hurting, while in worship, one is in the presence of the living God who will deliver us from our hurts, help us overcome the challenges we face, and lead us to glory; that in itself, dear readers, is enough to turn our frowns upside down! Let the church be a living sermon too, of what God can do in the lives of all who enter it.
Be the best sermon God can preach on this day.
PRAYER: Loving God, let me live a sermon life, that speaks of light in the face of darkness; hope in the face of hopelessness; joy in the face of despair; and healing in the face of hurts. This I ask in the name of He who is Love, Jesus my Savior, amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!
Eradio Valverde
