Week of August 18, 2024
Deployed
Part of the extraordinary life that Jesus offers to us is that of a mission to be his lights in the world. We get deployed into our schools, workplaces, and communities to bring light … love, service, mercy, and hope … and along the way to point others to Jesus who is the Light of the world. This week we will focus on our lives of faith-motivated contribution and eternal influence.
Monday, August 19 | Matthew 5:13-16
Jesus in his Sermon on the Mount uses two metaphors to describe his followers. First, he calls us the “salt of the earth” (v.13). What good does salt do for us? What good do we as Christians bring to the world? Then we are called “lights.” What are we to help people see? Songwriter Michael Card sings of the “burden of bearing the light.” In what ways is being a light of Jesus in the world a burden? In what ways is it a blessing?
Tuesday, August 20 | Ephesians 5:1-7
To be the light of Jesus in the world is to live distinctly different lives from so many who don’t follow him. What is the primary quality of being a living light (vs.1-2)? What sins are we especially to avoid (vs.3-5)? Why might the Apostle Paul give special mention to sexual immorality, impurity, greed, and idolatry? How are American Christians doing with regard to such sins?
Wednesday, August 21 | Ephesians 5:8-21
What do you think the Apostle Paul means when he states that we are “light in the Lord” (v.8)? How do we possess divine light? How does it shape our identity? How does it change our character and actions (vs.9-10)? “Be very careful, then, how you live” (v.15) suggests intentional Christ-like living rather than just going with the flow of the culture. In what ways do you believe that American Christians today need to live counter-cultural lives?
Thursday, August 22 | Philippians 2:12-16
Why is it good news that God “…works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose” (v.12)? How does God do that work in and through you? Which of the qualities of “shining like stars” that the Apostle Paul mentions in these verses particularly stand out to you? What aspects of your life now do you think shine most brightly to others? Give thanks to God for this good work in you.
Friday, August 23 | 1 Peter 2:9-12
The Apostle Peter calls his readers “a royal priesthood” … the king’s priests. Priests in the Old Testament stood as a connecting link between God and people. What enables us to be God’s priests (v.10)? What are we to do as priests (vs.9, 11,12)? What will be the ultimate impact of priestly lives on the non-believing people around us (v.12)? How does it feel to live a life of such influence and impact?
