Saturday, August 30, 2014

August 31, 2014

"You are the light of the world.  A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden.  No do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house.  Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven."  Matthew 5:14-16

You have and influence. I have an influence. All God's children have an influence. The issue is, "Does your influence bring glory to God?"

You were created to glorify God. Nothing else is acceptable.

To bring Him glory you must reflect His light and spread His purifying, preserving and pleasure giving salt on a dark and dying world.

Before Jesus came, it was believed that good works were the way to give God glory. But in His very first public teaching Jesus makes it clear that glorifying God will require "God works" not good works.

The Pharisees relied on good works and built an entire religion around it. But in His Sermon on the Mount Jesus announced a new righteousness, a radical righteousness, a righteousness that exceeds the righteousness of the Pharisees. It is a righteousness is based on a relationship not on a religion.

It is precisely this relationship that is described in the Beatitudes. 

When you realize your utter sinfulness and despise any self-righteousness you have trusted in you are getting closer to a relationship with God. When you mourn over your sinfulness and cry out to God for forgiveness, you are close to the Kingdom of God. When hunger and thirst to be made righteous, you can enter into a relationship with Him. When you meekly surrender control of your will to God, your relationship with Him will deepen.

When you are in a right relationship with God it will impact how you relate with other people. His righteousness will be expressed toward others. You will be merciful, you will be pure in heart, and you will be a peacemaker.

Those are the "God works" that He will manifest through you when you are in an obedient faith relationship with Him.

"God works" are what give God glory because everyone recognizes could only come from Him and not from you. 

It was the "good works" of the Scribes and Pharisees that Jesus rebuked and confronted because they were observing largely man made rules for the purpose of earning glory for themselves.

Radical righteousness comes only from God. Radical righteousness results largely from a radical relationship with God.

Are you living in radical relationship with Jesus?

Why wouldn't you?

Will you?