“Let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.” (Matthew 5:16)
What am I asking in today’s title? I assure you, I am not referring to your physical form, your facial features, or your external beauty. What I am referring to is what is on the inside, that Christlike quality that others see when it surfaces and shines through to the outside world. Jesus commanded His followers to be attractive – drawing others to our Lord rather than repelling them.
There is nothing more attractive in a fallen, broken, and hurting world than to see fallen, broken, and hurting people who have been saved by grace living joyful, grace-filled lives. There is something irresistible about a Christian who is a conduit of the grace of God. The light of God’s grace has been given to us to shine in such a way that others are attracted to it and even want to changed by the One who shone His light into our hearts (2 Corinthians 4:6). One of the most important things we can do to be attractive is to demonstrate a heart of hopeful compassion for those who are in darkness . . . because that is where we once were.
You once were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light. (Ephesians 5:8)
I often hear people say they want to change the world. Now, that’s a great goal when it is done for the glory of God. But it begins and ends by changing one heart at a time. And that change only takes place through the light of the Gospel that penetrates the darkness of dead hearts, making them alive to Christ.
It’s important to remember that our salvation is not primarily about us; it’s about Jesus and the expansion of His Kingdom. Thank God someone (or many someones) in your life thought that way and took the time to share the good news of the Gospel with you. Because they had Jesus in their lives, they were attractive and they attracted you to Jesus.
Are you attractive? The answer is a resounding “Yes!” . . . IF the way you live your life points others to your Savior. I have always been greatly encouraged by the fact that God does not need any of us to be part of His Kingdom; rather, He wants us — so much so that He died for us to make us His! The more that truth seizes us, the more our lives will be lived in the service of our Savior, and the more attractive we will become.
This is the Gospel. This is grace for your race. NEVER FORGET THAT . . . AMEN!
Grace for the Race 