How would we look from space? Would the light from our lives stand out from the surrounding darkness?
A recent post from my dear friend and tour guide extraordinaire, Michael Schneider, in Israel (WhatsApp – 972-52-555-5372) prompted these questions. Here’s his post:
“ISRAEL FROM SPACE: Italian ESA astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti was thrilled when she took the stunning picture of the country of Israel showing the Israeli solar tower in the Negev desert, glittering from space. She said it is ‘so unusual to see human-made lights in day passes!’ The world’s tallest solar power tower in Israel, the 260-meter-high solar tower power plant is located near Kibbutz Ashalim in the Negev Desert on the Egyptian border. [It has] an output of 121 megawatts by concentrating light on the absorber by thousands of computer-controlled solar mirrors, providing electricity to 120,000 households in Israel.”
What struck me is that this astronaut could see the glittering, yet powerful, light from such a distance.
Let Your Light So Shine
Several Biblical references reveal how this applies to us. Jesus said, “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven” (Matthew 5:16). He also questioned, “When the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith on the earth?” (Luke 18:8). The call to believers is to faithfully reflect His likeness and illuminate our area of influence in this darkening world. This commitment to shine means we faithfully share God’s Word and His Spirit’s influence in word, deed, and lifestyle until Christ returns or calls us home.
Ezekiel recorded God as saying, “I sought for a man among them who would … stand in the gap before Me on behalf of the land, that I should not destroy it; but I found no one” (Ezekiel 22:30). It doesn’t say He looked for many people. He looks for one. One faithful person who commits to faithfully stand for truth and righteousness. One person who brightly shines with the anointing and radiance of the Holy Spirit as Moses’ face did when he came down Mt. Sinai after spending considerable time in God’s presence (Exodus 34:29-30). One faithful person surrendered to living his or her faith in Jesus Christ each and every day, in every interaction and circumstance.
Will We Shine Our Light?
The world’s darkness may be thick and threatening. But in the dark of night, even the smallest light can be seen.
Oh, may we shine so brightly. May we be filled with the Holy Spirit. And may we surrender so fully to our transformation into Christlikeness that we can exclaim, “I shall be satisfied when I awake in Your likeness” (Psalm 17:15).
Regardless of whether or not someone can see our light from space, a better question is: Can those in our area of influence see our light?
(I encourage you to subscribe to Michael’s WhatsApp daily updates from Israel by contacting him at 972-52-555-5372. He shares many things not seen or heard on mainstream news venues. Photo courtesy of Michael Schneider.)
