Matthew 5:13-16 NKJV
13 “You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men.
14 “You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Nor 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. 16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven."
Psalm 119:130
"The entrance of Your words gives light;
It gives understanding to the simple."
Psalm 119:105
"Your word is a lamp to my feet
And a light to my path."
Been thinking about being salt and light...and thinking that lately I have felt like my salt has lost its flavor, and my light isn't shining as brightly as it should. Oftentimes we get so caught up in the bad news and the darkness of this old world, and we forget that we are supposed to shine as the lights of Christ in the midst of the darkness. The things we say and do, whatever we choose to write about or share with others, should be a reflection of the Light of Christ shining through the windows of our soul. When we let the filth of this world blow its dust and ashes in our faces and minds, we become cloudy and gloomy and dingy...and our light begins to flicker and falter and eventually, if not rekindled, it will be snuffed out by too much darkness filtering through instead of light.
I've been feeling kind of dull and uninspired lately, with nothing much to say. And so this morning I had to just stop what I was doing and pray...pray that God would reignite the fire within me and help me to see the light of His love and the beauty He has created all around us and in us once again. My original purpose here on this blog was to share the story of what Christ means to me and how He lives in my heart and life. It doesn't mean I can't laugh and have fun and enjoy the fellowship of friends here...but it does mean that I must not allow anything to get in the way of His light shining forth from this city on the hill of my life. I must not allow my words to be seasoned with old salt that should be thrown out on the ash heap, but to allow the fullness of His flavor and sweetness of His aroma permeate my thoughts and words and flow out to others who may be seeking strength and encouragement along the way.
So today, I want to let my light shine forth for Jesus...and for you, my friends. Wanna sing a little song from our childhood/Sunday School with me?
If you Google "This Little Light of Mine", you will find many different groups and individuals singing this well loved little song. This particular video was done by a church group during the pandemic last year...very creatively done. I love how people are finding ways to let "This Little Light of Mine" to shine in the midst of difficult trials and conditions.
Can we add our voice to this song?
Sing along!!!
This Little Light of Mine,
I'm gonna let it shine.
This little light of mine,
I'm gonna let it shine,
let it shine, let it shine, let it shine...
Amen!
One of my favorite songs for 'littles' and big people, too. I do think that sometimes we get so caught up in the unexpected and disappointments that it is hard to let our lights shine through. Lovely post! xo Diana
ReplyDeleteThank you, Diana! I believe your light is always shining brightly! Your posts always make me smile, even though I know you are going through your own trials and tribulations. We are here for each other, and I thank God for your shining light!
DeleteI cannot begin to count the many times I have sung that little song. it always had a way of making me smile and still does. I guess at times I feel like my light iso growing dim. it is so easy to let circumstances affect us negatively. Thanks for the reminder to keep my light burning brightly.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Ruth. We all are going through our own kinds of trials in this life, but I love it when God still finds ways to shine through us brightly...through your lovely photographs of nature and birds we see His light beaming and making us smile and give praise to our Creator God. Thank you for your shining light!
DeleteI am smiling because as soon as I started reading your post, I started humming "This Little Light of Mine"... and then, there it was!! Yes, we must let our lights shine. Praise God!! Love & hugs, Pam! xo
ReplyDeleteI think I can hear our virtual chorus singing together here on this page...everyone is humming and singing, and soon we'll be clapping and praising God together. Thank you for your light shining in the midst of your own trials and tribulations. You have been a very bright light to many of us to see Christ shining through you in the midst of sorrow. Praise God!
DeleteWhoa...since I don't believe in coincidence, we'll call it a God-incidence. This is the very subject my morning devotions brushed on today. I love when that happens to let us know that God is sending the same message to His children. By the way, you my friend, are always salt and light and your posts and comments always leave me smiling. :)
ReplyDeleteThis was also the theme of our devotions yesterday morning, so that is what got me going on it. I love how God is our orchestrator, and He gets the chorus singing all in tune with His song. Let it shine, let it shine, let it shine!! Thank you Stacy.
DeletePam: You are not alone in feeling as you do. COVID has taken a lot away from us. Besides going to Indy to the hospital last November, we have not been out of town since at least the end of 2019. (That is a guesstimate.) We have to keep close to the LORD in order to keep on being His light. Peace and blessings to you and yours.
ReplyDeleteYes, we are not going to let COVID or any other devil snuff out our lights. In spite of these difficulties, we know that Jesus is still on the throne and His Light is brightly beaming through our lives today. Thank you for letting your light shine in the midst of your own sufferings. "This little light of mine, I'm gonna let it shine...let it shine, let it shine, let it shine..."
DeleteHow I love that song, Pamela, and cherish your reminder here for us to rekindle the light of Jesus shining in and through us to show His glory to others. I've been feeling drained as of late with everything that is going on, and I needed this reminder to rejuvenate my soul by placing it in God's hands once again.
ReplyDeleteBlessings!
Oh Martha, yes, I can imagine you are feeling drained. Family concerns with loved ones who are hurting always takes a toll on us as caregivers and loved ones who must keep things going even when we ourselves might need to rest. May the Lord give you rest and peace of mind and strength for each new day. Let your light shine in the dark places and His love will flow forth from within you. Take care my friend.
DeleteYou're so right. There's an awful lot of darkness these days. But, there's also good news 'cause God is keeping the devil at bay with them losing a lot of evil legislation the Left have been trying to pass. He is blunting their arrows and breaking their bows. He has placed His righteous right hand upon us. Their demonic actions are floating away like sand on the beach. Keep looking up! We're winning because God is in control and showing great mercy. Let His goodness shine through us!!
ReplyDeleteBlessings. xx
Praise God indeed. May God's strong warriors keep up the fight and stand strong. May God give them courage to speak truth and not be swayed by popular opinion. May the Lord build His hedges high around our strong leaders and give them protection from the onslaughts of Satan and his minions. Yes, God IS in control, and we know we will be victors through Christ forever. So let us let our lights shine!!! Thank you!!!
DeleteThank you Pamela...sometimes that "non inspiration" is the good Lord telling us to just slow down and get back into the Word, just saying. And thanks to Terri, I am now singing This little light...smiles
ReplyDeleteYou are right about that, Linda..."slow down and get back into the Word". We sometimes get so caught up in the here and now that we forget there is SO much more to life than what we see on the surface. Praise God for His light shining in the midst of the darkness. We are blessed.
DeleteNo, Pam. As Quiet Spirit said, you're not alone. I can't put my finger on WHY, but neither will I let that big gray bucket of yuk take over my body and mind. Love this video, and as a matter of fact, I'm about to play it again LOUDLY while I go about straightening the bedroom. Let's all out-shine the sun!
ReplyDeleteYou always bring a smile to my face, Myra! Thank you for being a wonderful encourager! And yes, "Let's outshine the sun!!" I love that thought!
DeleteYou always shine brightly. This was such a good reminder of what our purpose is as Jesus Followers. The past couple of weeks have been a hand full of stuff and your blog is always a happy place with your pictures of those little birds and geese. Through them I am constantly reminded that God has all in control and that I need not fret. He shines in you.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much, Sandy. I love your kind words of encouragement and friendship. Yes, we are blessed to have our Lord here in the midst of us, sharing His light with us as we lift each other up day by day. We are blessed!
DeleteExcellent post, Pam! I personally feel that you let your light shine here on this blog with each and every post. But you are right -- we need to shine brightly as lights in the midst of darkness, and sometimes we get distracted from that purpose, or let our light grow dim with discouragement. Very encouraging read today.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much, Mrs. T! You have encouraged me with your kind words today. I am a bit behind as our internet was down one whole day, and yesterday I played catch up on a lot of things...but Lily Grace was also letting her little light shine over on her blog page. It is inspiring to come here and visit with dear friends who are of like mind and spirit...and that breathes fresh wind into our sails so we can keep going. Thank you.
DeleteYour blog post was just what I needed to read. Thank you. That is a lovely little song. I also like "One Little Candle." We sang that at summer camp long ago.
ReplyDeleteI will have to look up "One Little Candle". Sounds like a good song to know. Thank you, Holly, for your kind words.
DeleteYour 4th photo with the sun streaming down into the forest is especially pretty!
ReplyDeleteThe video was fun -- sure picked up the pace as it went along! I marveled at how well the different children came in on pitch as they sang. Very well done!
When my blog posts feel dry, I usually take that as an indication I need to just rest for a while and not post. Usually when I do that, something "blog worthy" comes along to get me going again.
Good Morning, Barbara! I am way behind in responding. Thank you for writing. I am glad you enjoyed the picture of what I call "the Angel in the Woods". I took that picture one morning on a walk on our road in Salt Springs, years ago. I didn't notice the "angel" until I put it on the computer and shared it on Facebook, and everyone noticed it right away...so it became a very special picture and a comfort to me to sense God's presence as we walked down that road every single day for seven years. Then a hurricane destroyed that particular spot in the woods, but spared our house, and I felt again that God's angel of protection was still there, keeping the winds at bay and away from our house. God often reminds us that He is there for us, no matter what winds and storms may blow. This was a sweet reminder. And yes, I too take little breaks from blogging when I feel dry, and pray that God will open my eyes to something He wants me to share...and He always comes through sooner or later. So thankful. Praying for you as you make lots of decisions and plans for your big move. I am very happy for you to have this to look forward to. God is good.
DeleteHowdy there Pam, this is a beautiful post and I sure enjoyed it. I've been so so so un-inspired about getting blog posts together....I HAVE FINALLY put one up! LOL. I'm so glad y'all got your air fixed too...it's just really necessary in these hot/humid states down in the South. I dont know HOW THEY did it in the "old days", do you? I would've melted. I immediately recognized the FAN ON THE POST, ha ha LOL! I'm like "that sure looks familiar!" LOL. I'm glad you like it. I love fans, and collect them. Hope all is well your way. We are good here, just been very very busy. I will try to do better and keep in touch better. You are thought of every day and prayed for! Thank you for the lovely birthday message too and to Miss Lily Grace for hers, and the pictures! Hugs, my friend! And stay COOOOOOOOOOOOL. Summer has arrived.
ReplyDeleteYes, summer has certainly arrived. It is very hot here already this morning, and I am SO thankful our AC is working! Praise God!! I know we suffered in the olden days before AC, but I was young then and played outside all day anyway, so I didn't notice the difference. Stayed barefoot and wore shorts and halter tops in the summer and played in the sprinklers when it got too hot. We went swimming every chance we could too...lots of springs and lakes and even the beach. Those were the days...glad I didn't have to dress up and work in an office all day or something like that. My poor mother did, but somehow she survived too. Glad you had a great birthday. Loved the post. Such a beautiful place!! Thank you for writing. You are a dear friend.
DeletePs--- 4got to ask--- how is THe new PILLOW ?????
ReplyDeleteIt's doing fine! I'm sleeping better, and my neck seems to be better. I still have some shoulder issues and upper spine, but that comes with the territory of AGE! Thank you for asking!
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