"Made to be Seen"

"The heavens declare his righteousness, and all the people see his glory." (Psalms 97:6)
As is the case with most of my very controversial postings, there is always a teaching on the radio to back up what was said; as it was yesterday with Pastor Jack's teaching from Deuteronomy 4. In the lead-up to the teaching, Pastor Jack mentioned the whole generation which perished in the wilderness as those which wasted their lives, or had wasted a life which they could have had. To sum up his teaching, he pretty much said, 'once we are saved, God is not going to undo the salvation He has given us; He would have to undo a whole lot of things in order to do that. But our salvation is really meant to be more than just fire insurance, it's meant to give us life, abundant life; a life that makes a difference, is filled with joy and is a testimony to the power of God in our lives.' That was not word for word, but it was pretty much what was said. So, as I was saying, although we may not loose our salvation, we surely can loose out on a life which brings us more pleasure and fulfillment than anything else we could ever know. God's will for us is that we obey and live! To live out His calling upon our lives, that our lives really make a difference, and that our lives can stand out as a life that was lived for the kingdom of God. We might not need to fear death and hell, but what a waste it is to just die off in the wilderness of sin! Not when we have so much more to offer, as in, our lives are an offering to the Lord! I think it is rather interesting that Paul starts out his letter to Corinth by putting them at ease over their calling and their security in Christ; especially since his letter was intended to call them out on some of their issues. We all have issues. Each and every one of us have our own set of issues, whether they be sins that are notably visible or sins that are hidden, we all sin in some way or another; but the point of our testimony to the power of God, is that we do not live a life of sin and that the sin we might commit is always forgiven. And since our sins are forgiven, we can walk in a way that is beyond reproach and blameless before God, knowing that He has given us abundant life! That is pretty much Paul's intention for the church in Corinth, that they would put away their sinful ways and petty disputes within the body, and that they would actually become the light that the world needs to witness. That is what God wants from us, His children, that we would let our light shine for all the world to see. What a difference it makes to live out abundant life...
""Arise, Jerusalem! Let your light shine for all to see. For the glory of the LORD rises to shine on you. Darkness as black as night covers all the nations of the earth, but the glory of the LORD rises and appears over you. All nations will come to your light; mighty kings will come to see your radiance. "Look and see, for everyone is coming home! Your sons are coming from distant lands; your little daughters will be carried home. Your eyes will shine, and your heart will thrill with joy, for merchants from around the world will come to you. They will bring you wealth of many lands. Vast caravans of camels will converge on you, the camels of Midian and Ephah. The people of Sheba will bring gold and frankincense and will come worshipping the LORD. The flocks of Kedar will be given to you, and the rams of Nebaioth will be brought for my altars. I will accept their offerings, and I will make my Temple glorious."" (Isaiah 60:1-7) NLT