Have you ever wondered about the metaphor that Jesus used to describe what the church is to be to the world?
Matt 5:14 (NIV) 14“You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden.
The church is to shine brightly as a light of the world. And are you not the church? So you are to shine brightly as a light of the world. Have you considered how we are to shine forth this light? And to shine in such a way that it is actually considered as a “light” to this world? When a light is weak, feeble and easily lost amongst many other distracting lights, it is clearly not a light of the world!
In my teenage years, I used to ride a bicycle quite often. Many times in the dusk and nights. I had a bicycle lamp generator that spins when in contact with the front wheel. The faster I rode, the faster it spins and the brighter the lamp. With youthful exuberance, I had tried to see how bright I could make the lamp, by cycling furiously as fast as I could. Yet when I ride slow, the lamp dims to little more than a flickering feeble light, struggling to light up anything in my path.
I believe that the more passionate we are, the more zealous we are, the brighter we will shine for God. John Wesley declared “Get on fire for God and men will come to see you burn." The light that shines forth will make the world sit up and take note.
How is this to be? Let me suggest a few keys.
A key Scripture is Rom 12:11 - 12 (NIV) 11Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. 12Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.
- Firstly, keep your spiritual fervour.
Spiritual fervor is not maintained by sheer discipline of human will like some marathon runner who wills his body to run beyond the pain barrier. Some may surely attempt this route, but it is a recipe for eventually burning out rather than burning bright. John Wesley experienced this in his attempts at maintaining holiness before God through much discipline. Rather, spiritual fervor is maintained and in fact increased when we diligently connect with the Source of Life and appropriate His abundant grace. It is critical to continually be in communion with God and draw from His strength. Be faithful in prayer. How much are you connected with Him today? Imagine yourself like a lamp of oil. The lamp can continue burning continually if it is continually refilled with fresh oil. When the oil runs low, the light will burn dimmer and eventually die off. But if the light is to burn as bright as the gas flames in the oil rigs, there has to be a big supply pipe! How big is your connection pipe to God today?
- Secondly, dedicate yourself to serve the Lord.
Jesus set us an example in
John 2:17 (NIV) 17His disciples remembered that it is written: “Zeal for your house will consume me.” He was absolutely zealous for His Father’s house. It is in the very midst of serving the Lord, that God brings deeper spiritual maturity in our lives. This will develop if we seek to grow in our understanding of God and His ways, as we face the challenges of ministry. Verse 12 says that we are to be “patient in affliction”. If there are no spiritual challenges, there will develop little spiritual muscle. Resistance helps challenge us to grow stronger in God. As we grow stronger, we will be able to shine brighter.
- Thirdly, develop godly convictions.
Verse 12 challenges us to
“Be joyful in hope…” Such hope and such joy can only arise in our hearts when there is a depth of conviction, fully anchored in God. When we are certain about what we believe, when we trust in One who is faithful, when we are clear on how we should live – it is evidence of conviction. Is our foundation built upon rock or is it on shifting soil? We must take the time and prayerful contemplation to build convictions in our lives. Never be satisfied with second-hand beliefs, or hand-me-down faith or crowd-following behaviour. All the above are actually helpful in the midst of a godly community. However, we need to deepen those convictions by complementing with personal study into God’s Word, upon your personal interaction with God and by working through how you should live.
As I have served the Lord fervently for over 20 years, I have found these to be simple yet crucial keys to help me burn brightly for Jesus. May I encourage you to grab hold of some of these in your own life and also burn brightly for God.
Burning for Him,
Dr. Wilson Lim
