Attracted To The Light

“Do all things without grumbling or disputing; so that you will prove yourselves to be blameless and innocent, children of God above reproach in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you appear as lights in the world, holding fast the word of life, so that in the day of Christ I will have reason to glory because I did not run in vain nor toil in vain.” (Phil 2:14-16)

OK, so does Paul really mean to do ALL things without grumbling? If no one hears me, am I still grumbling? How many times do I put on a nice face for someone and then as soon as I’m done with them or hang up the phone make some snarky comment to myself about what just happened. I know I’m not alone here – we all do it! But that is the tip of the iceberg as that is attitude between us and God.  Then there is the times we are outright difficult, snarky, sarcastic or just downright disagreeable especially if we’re with someone who feels the same way about whatever it is that’s under my skin and we have a snarkfest! (Can you tell I like the word “snarky” today?)

What kind of example does that set for others when I do that, and what kinds of mental thought patterns am I establishing or re-establishing in my mind? Paul writes of why we need to learn to do all things without grumbling or disputing, and it’s not for our own good, its for the good of the kingdom. He wants me to be an example of how to really act and behave SO THAT I’ll be proven blameless.

The world today certainly looks crooked and perverse and it’s hard to imagine an earlier time that could be as bad as what things look like in our world. But even Moses complained about the people he was trying to lead. At times it seems they were gold medal winners, or should I say whiners, when it comes to setting the example for grumbling. In fact, Paul may have been echoing Moses when he wrote this section of his letter, as Moses wrote “They have corrupted themselves; they are not His children, because of their blemish: a perverse and crooked generation.” (Deuteronomy 32:5) What did they have to grumble and complain about? They had just been delivered from slavery (Ex 14:30), and they should have been so very thankful! But they chose to focus on what was making them uncomfortable and they started to grumble and complain, “Oh, that we had died by the hand of the LORD in the land of Egypt!” (16:3). If you keep reading you see that they started quarreling and fighting. They were really upset with God but decided to fight with Moses and even question if God was still with them. But despite their attitude God continued to meet their needs. Not their wants, but their needs. If they had chosen to concentrate on the good things happening there would have been an abundance of blessings to be thankful for.

Am I the only one that wonders how they can describe their society as crooked and perverse when you look around today? I think that every generation has been crooked and perverse. It’s hard for us to imagine how earlier generations could have had worse times than what we see going around us. Yet how do you think you would have felt if you were a Jew living in Nazi Germany? A Christian being fed to the lions? A slave being beaten by Egyptians who considered you mere property? I could go through all the generations of history and find examples of people in every age who likely felt that this was a bad as things could get, and felt like the world was coming to an end. That is what makes Paul’s writings so very timeless – God knew that every one who read his words down through the ages would identify with that phrase. Paul used a phrase that we can all identify with to describe what we are supposed to be. We are to “appear as lights in the world.”  He was saying we need to be a light to those who are lost, to show a heart attitude that brings forth grace, mercy that brings forth and thankfulness, not a darkened heart that spews grumbling and disputes. If you are walking down a dark street, don’t you look for light to help guide your way? In the same way, those around us who are living in darkness instinctively are attracted to those around them who display light in their lives.

When Benjamin Franklin decided to interest the people of Philadelphia in street lighting, he hung a beautiful lantern on the end of a long bracket attached to the front of his house,” wrote Cole D. Robinson in World Horizons. “He kept the glass brightly polished and carefully lit the wick each evening at the approach of dusk. Anyone walking on the dark street could see this light from a long way off and came under its warm glow.”

What was the result? “It wasn’t long before Franklin’s neighbors began placing lamps outside their homes,” Cole continued. “Soon the entire city realized the value of street lighting and followed his example with enthusiasm.”

H. G. Bosch, a devotional writer said “If we live according to the clear light of God’s Word, God will dispel the darkness and others will be attracted to the Light”

People around us, and ultimately the world, are affected by our attitudes.