Tuesday, April 25, 2006

This Little Light of Mine

"This little light of mine,
I'm gonna let it shine!"

“Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.” Matthew 5:14-16

Keep on shining... Only Jesus knows who you have touched by your life lived out for Him! Think of the lighthouse... Does it know what kind of influence it is exerting on a ship at sea? Does it only shine when it thinks that there is a ship coming near? NO! It shines ALL the time! That is exactly how we should be... We never know when someone is watching how we will respond to a certain circumstance.
On a dark, stormy, night, when the waves rolled like mountains, and not a star was to be seen, a boat, rocking and plunging, neared the Cleveland harbor. “Are you sure this is Cleveland?” asked the captain, seeing only one light from the lighthouse.
“Quite sure, sir,” replied the pilot.
“Where are the lower lights?”
“Gone out, sir.”
“Can you make the harbor?”
“We must, or perish, sir!”
And with a strong hand and a brave heart, the old pilot turned the wheel. But alas, in the darkness he missed the channel, and with a crash upon the rocks the boat was shivered, and many a life lost in a watery grave. Brethren, the Master will take care of the great lighthouse: let us keep the lower lights burning!
D. L. Moody.

"Brightly beams our Father’s mercy from His lighthouse evermore,
But to us He gives the keeping of the lights along the shore.
Let the lower lights be burning! Send a gleam across the wave!
Some poor struggling, sinking sailor you may rescue, you may save.

Dark the night of sin has settled, loud the angry billows roar;
Eager eyes are watching, longing, for the lights, along the shore.
Let the lower lights be burning! Send a gleam across the wave!
Eager eyes are watching, longing, for the lights, along the shore.

Trim your feeble lamp, my brother, some poor sailor tempest tossed,
Trying now to make the harbor, in the darkness may be lost.
Let the lower lights be burning! Send a gleam across the wave!
Trying now to make the harbor, some poor sailor may be lost."
—Philip Bliss

3 Comments:

  • Amazing again...that song has been much on my heart lately! I'm actually attempting to arrange it right now - we'll see how that goes! :-) Anyway, another blessing! Thank you!

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 11:30 AM  

  • I was very blessed and encouraged by this post, Ryan. Thank you.
    Truly, we are to be that "city that is set on a hill." We have Light to shine that the world does not have, praise be to God!
    I appreciated the paragraph by D.L. Moody, also.

    Shining for Jesus is all that matters, and all I should care for. Whether or not someone else is watching me, Jesus sure is!=)

    Keep shining your own life for Jesus... I know He will never disapoint the one who seeks Him in genuine faith.
    God bless you!

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 12:43 PM  

  • I forgot to mention that the credits for the 'ocean wave' picture might go to Rebecca... It's hard to keep track of who takes what when we are all on a trip using the same camera... (Not that it really matters!) :-) Anyhow, I didn't want to take credit for the picture if I didn't take it! :-D

    By Blogger Ryan H, at 9:45 PM  

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