Thought for today

Came across this quote today:

There are two kinds of light--the glow that illuminates, and the glare that obscures. James Thurber

I don't know the background of the quote or anything about the quotee, but it struck me as being a great guide for Christians. We must glow with the love of Christ so that we bring light to this dark world, but not so much that we blind them. Let me explain. Jesus said:

"You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven." (Matthew 5:14-16)

The link here is in the last sentence there: "let your light shine ...[so]...they may see your good deeds." If your light is too bright, they will not see the reason for the light ie Jesus. My thoughts go to those over-the-top-in-your-face evangelists who, whilst still presenting the same Gospel, tend to immediately cause people to switch off mentally. They have been blinded by the glare and don't wish to listen anymore. This is such a tragedy - people are literally dying to hear the Gospel. We need to bring the Light to people in a way that they will want to hear more. So often, this is done just by our daily living - people see something different in us (the gentle illuminating glow) and want to find out what it is.

Okay, some people will be challenged by the in-yer-face style but I would suggest this is the minority. People need to see the difference in our lives for themselves. This will only happen if we are glowing not glaring.

So lets illuminate this world together so that people will be desperate to see the wonderful Light of the World - Jesus Himself.