In everything you do, stay away from complaining and arguing, so that no one can speak a word of blame against you. You are to live clean, innocent lives as children of God in a dark world full of crooked and perverse people. Let your lives shine brightly before them.
The only thing arguing and complaining accomplishes is the fact that we’re wrapped up in our self. Feeling the need to be right at all costs and complaining about every tiny, little thing only proves to the world that Christianity must not be all that great and doesn’t differ much from the life they are already living. If Christians grumble, complain and argue, why would they want to enter that kind of lifestyle? They can stay at home and receive the same treatment.
What does it mean to be a light in a dark world? Those who haven’t accepted Christ as their Lord and Savior are living in a state of darkness overshadowed by Satan and his influence. When they come in contact with Christians or Christ’s followers, the light and life of Christ is exposed (or should be) to them. They should immediately notice something different in us.
When I was a child, my brothers and I used to play a game. We owned a few small rubber balls (we called them super balls) and they glowed in the dark. We would close the door to our bedroom, turn the lights off and duck down all around the room. Then the person with the ball would throw it as hard as they could, which allowed the ball to bounce and ricochet all over the room. The goal of the game was to not get hit by the ball. If you did, you were out of the game. The goal of the game is not the point that I’m trying to make here. What stands out from this story is that when we turned the lights out in the bedroom, we couldn’t even see our hand in front of our face, and the light from that tiny ball was all that was visible. It was the only visible object in our dark, clouded surroundings. We took great notice of the small light, for it helped influence our every movement.
You and I are that small, rubber, glow-in-dark ball. As we bounce here and there and ricochet through life, we become a light to those who are fumbling around in the dark, trying to gain their footing. We may be the only light they see in their entire lifetime, and if we’re busy arguing and complaining as we ricochet past them, then they will never notice us because our light will not be shining. It is only when we portray Christ and His character that our light shines bright and strong. Paul is encouraging us, in this scripture to stay away from anything that would cause our light to be diminished and ineffective. We only have a short shelf life; we should strive to make every moment count for Him.
Have you ever thought of yourself as a light in a dark world? If you were an outsider, having an opportunity to watch yourself and your life from afar, what would you see? Do you believe you would stand out from the crowd, exhibiting Christ-like behaviors? Take some time today to reevaluate your behaviors and how you portray yourself to those around you. Ask God to reveal any changes that need to be made in your character so that you will shine more brightly for Him.
Have a great day!
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