Hey everybody. We’re still waiting for weather to warm up, but we’ve at least made it part of the way out west. We’re staying with Lindsie’s wonderful Uncle Charlie (who came and rescued us in Colorado when winter hit back in November) in Wyoming until the snow and below-freezing nights go away for good.
While we wait, I wanted to share something I read recently in a book called Dreaming With God by Bill Johnson. Dreaming With God was recommended to me by my brilliant friend and business partner Jared Soundy. The book itself is about unleashing the God-given creativity within us to impact our world in a positive way for Christ’s Kingdom. The book is FULL of fantastic points, insights, and thought-provoking ideas, and I wanted to share at least one of them here.
In the chapter “Invading Babylon,” Pastor Johnson talks about how, in the midst of the darkness that surrounds us here on Earth, it seems like the only solution is to give up, run away from it all, and wait for the Rapture (which, according to many people, has to be coming soon based on the state of the world right now).
But according to him, that’s not the path we should take. And I tend to agree. Here’s what he says about our role as Christians in society.
“…anywhere we do not invade becomes darker in our absence. We are the ‘light of the world’ (Matt. 5:14). The realms of society that we fail to invade are hopelessly lost to darkness. Invasion is the responsibility of light.”
Week by week, it seems this world is falling into a state of ruin. This week alone we’ve witnessed the Boston Marathon bombing and a shootout and manhunt on MIT’s campus, both of which have left people dead. And it’s SO easy to think, This snowball is already picking up too much downhill steam and growing too big—there’s no way to keep society from falling apart now.
But, as Pastor Johnson points out, it’s not just possible to prevent that decay—it’s our RESPONSIBILITY. He later writes, “In crisis, people will always turn to those who are stable. Integrity will be a beacon of light to those wandering through this land of disappointment and shame.”
With God behind us, we have all of the strength and stability we need to be a light for others. As Paul tells us in 2 Timothy 1:7-8, “For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline. So never be ashamed to tell others about our Lord.”
This world needs beacons of light to invade that darkness. Matthew 5:14 tells us, “You are the light of the world—like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden.”
WE are that light. So in the face of the darkness we confront on Earth, let’s shine as brightly as we can for the Lord. I don’t want to leave my future children and grandchildren to inherit a planet that has forever fallen into darkness. It’s our job to be warriors for Christ, not just semi-believers who have read His Word but don’t truly believe in the authority God has given us.
Let’s use that authority to start confronting the darkness in this world. The brighter we shine, the less power darkness has against us. Light will always overcome darkness under any circumstances. It’s our job to shine radiantly for Christ.
-Mike and Lindsie
