Shine like stars
2"Then you will shine among them like stars in the sky as you hold firmly to the word of life."
- from Philippians 2:15-16
Paul pictures his friends shining like stars even as they are surrounded by enemies and opponents. Their growth and maturity isn't only for their own sake, but it's also to be a witness to others.
Many of us struggle with this concept of being witnesses, of shining like stars.
Maybe you look at your life and don't feel like you have a lot of light to offer. Your life has taken some turns or hit some stiff breezes and all of that has just blown whatever light you had right out. You want to serve in the background, not shine in the sky.
To you, Paul would say "hold firmly to the word of life" and the shining will take care of itself. Sometimes holding firmly to the word of life will mean witnessing with our actions. Sometimes it will mean witnessing with our words. But in either case, the attention isn't on us and we're not alone.
Maybe you go the other direction. You don't lack confidence. You have confidence in heaps and barrels. You shine and shine and shine, but instead of shining like a star in the sky you come across like a big ball of gas. You burn the people you want to love, sometimes coming across as arrogant or self-righteous.
To you, Paul would say "shine among them like stars in the sky." You are one star among many and it's a big sky. You don't have to puff yourself up to be seen. Light always makes its way through the darkness. You can shine without handing out shiners.
Where in the sky has the Lord placed you? Where is the Lord calling you to shine?
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2 Comments
Karen Sep 26, 2014 @ 10:19 am
There are huge clouds in the sky hiding the glow in me....I see shining faces all around me and I want to move beyond the cloud and join them. I so want people to see God in me and not see me. God is calling me to believe that it is possible to shine.
John Sep 26, 2014 @ 9:53 am
I have some favorite Christian authors, theologians and philosophers that I love to return to, reflect on and quote. I also have a few "heroes" that I greatly admire. I love these folk’s biographies. Not long ago I realized that my heroes were a different type of person then the authors, theologians and philosophers I admire. Don't get me wrong I am very, very grateful and indebted to these great teachers but my "heroes" were largely students. Their life ambition was simply to live a Christ honoring and Christ like life - their "hero" was and still is(I'm sure) Christ. During their life they didn't seek attention nor was their goal wasn’t accomplishment; rather they led quiet and relatively obscure lives living for Christ within the sphere God gave them. They didn't falter when God called on them to show great faith and courage. For some God's call cost them their physical lives for others their heroic acts brought deserved fame and their light shined all the more. If I had to give one piece of advice regarding today’s devotional it would be to have heroes - starting with Christ. Then others that have "hold firmly to the word of life". The people we admire most not only teach us about ourselves, they connect us to a real physical linage of faith and demonstrate by example what it means to "hold firmly to the word of life". And maybe most importantly, heroes remind us there are other “starsâ€, many of whom outshine my light – and that’s ok.