READ: PHILIPPIANS 2:15-16
One of my favorite historical figures is Benjamin Franklin. Not only was he one of our founding fathers, but he was also an inventor, a writer, a printer, and a philosopher. To interest the people of Philadelphia in street lighting, he hung a beautiful lantern at the end of a long bracket attached to the front of his house. He kept the glass polished and carefully lit the wick each evening at the approach of night. Anyone walking on the dark street could see the light from a long way off. People began to gather around the light. The result: It wasn’t long before Franklin’s neighbors began placing lamps outside their homes. Soon the entire city realized the value of street lighting and followed his example.
It only takes one light shining in the darkness to make a powerful difference. Paul says, “Live clean, innocent lives as children of God, shining like bright lights in a world full of crooked and perverse people.” Let the light of the love, the goodness, the kindness, the grace, and the mercy of Jesus shine through your life today. As H. W. Boesch says, “If we live according to the clear truths of God’s word, God will dispel the darkness and others will be attracted to the light.”
One of my favorite historical figures is Benjamin Franklin. Not only was he one of our founding fathers, but he was also an inventor, a writer, a printer, and a philosopher. To interest the people of Philadelphia in street lighting, he hung a beautiful lantern at the end of a long bracket attached to the front of his house. He kept the glass polished and carefully lit the wick each evening at the approach of night. Anyone walking on the dark street could see the light from a long way off. People began to gather around the light. The result: It wasn’t long before Franklin’s neighbors began placing lamps outside their homes. Soon the entire city realized the value of street lighting and followed his example.
It only takes one light shining in the darkness to make a powerful difference. Paul says, “Live clean, innocent lives as children of God, shining like bright lights in a world full of crooked and perverse people.” Let the light of the love, the goodness, the kindness, the grace, and the mercy of Jesus shine through your life today. As H. W. Boesch says, “If we live according to the clear truths of God’s word, God will dispel the darkness and others will be attracted to the light.”
– Dr. Tim Thompson