Light It Up!

I often wonder am I truly being the light of Jesus that God expects me to be.  Is my life (through Jesus) so non conforming to this world, that others will see the glory of Zion and be drawn to Him.  Isaiah 60:1-3 says, “Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord rises upon you.
See, darkness covers the earth and thick darkness is over the peoples, but the Lord rises upon you
and his glory appears over you.   Nations will come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your dawn.  Jesus is the light of this world, a constant, our Redeemer and Saviour.  May we always allow Jesus to shine in our lives so boldly that others will seek this joy and salvation.  As we ask, seek and knock......may God fill us with His presence.  May my goal in life be to-- Light It (the world) Up for the sake of Christ.  Daniel 12:3,   Those who are wise will shine like the brightness of the heavens, and those who lead many to righteousness, like the stars for ever and ever.

Attention (Gift of Listening)

     We live in a world of "busyness" and something else I refer to as "technological deafness".  There are many daily items/activities that compete for our attention......some good, others not.  Multi-tasking has come to the forefront in order for us to feel we are maximizing our energy, time and efforts.  While this is sometime somewhat unavoidable/necessary in accomplishing tasks at hand, it can be very detrimental to our communication process.  This leaves gaps, chances for misunderstandings and selective hearing tends to rule.  Time, people, relationships are vital to us........the goal should be to place our efforts where most important.  This should include: our faith/time with God, our family (spouse, children, extended family), other relationships/serving, work/providing.  A tall order for our daily lives where time seems to quickly vanish.  In the scheme of life on this earth, we are but a vapor and  time is short.  May we make it a habit to stop and give out UNDIVIDED attention in our relationships.  To me, this is a most precious gift to give someone.....indicating they are important and we care for them by setting aside other priorities and for the time it takes to fully/completely LISTEN.  I need God's help, mercy and blessings in this matter--I'm certain all can relate.
     We all long to be wanted/heard/loved by those dearest and special to us.  We always EXPECT others to LISTEN TO US- this includes our God (Psalm 54:2). We offer prayers, expecting answers we want (Psalm 17:6).  If we have these desired outcome from others, why do we struggle with the busyness/technology gadgets when we are here to serve and not be served.  May we always avoid being PHYSICALLY PRESENT, yet MENTALLY ABSENT......by extending the GIFT OF ATTENTIVE LISTENING ( Luke 2:46).  Blessings in your pursuit.......TO