Shine

Happy Sunday. Years ago I found this story. It's about a Hindu Trader in India, and he had a friend that was a missionary, and he asked, "What do you put on your face to make it shine?" The missionary responded, "I, I don't put anything on my face." And the traitor insisted, "I know that you do. All of you who believe in Jesus seem to have it. I've seen it in towns of Agra and Surat and even in the city of Bombay."

The missionary understood. He said to his friend, "Now I know what you mean, and I will tell you a secret. It's not something we put on from the outside but something that comes from within. It's the reflection of the light of God in our hearts." That's a good explanation. Today we're going to talk about shining, shining for God.

A few years back I conducted a funeral for a lady named Kai. She was born in Soul, South Korea in the mid-30s. She was born into an atheist family. As a little girl she went to church all by herself, and every time she brought a Bible home with her, her brother would tear it up with the parents' permission.

As a young woman she married and had three children. Her oldest son told me about Kai's mother in-law. In that part of the world, mothers-in-law are known, or were known 70 years ago, to treat their daughters-in-law like a senior fraternity member treats a pledge. One day Kai was washing her mother-in-law's feet, and when she finished, her mother-in-law picked up the Basin and poured the dirty water over Kai's head.

I was told that Kai never retaliated. She continued to serve. That was an amazing story to me. What would you do if that was done to you? Kai took care of her in-laws until the day they died.

This dear lady's response to the water incident reminded me of a couple of verses from Philippians chapter 2. You find these words in verses 14 and 15. There we are told, "Do all things without murmuring and arguing, so that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, in which you shine like stars in the world." Can you imagine what a different world this would be if we all live that way?

Let me read those words again: "Do all things without murmuring and arguing, so that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, in which you shine like stars in the world." I love that language. As Christ followers, we should Shine.

The more I learned about Kai's life, the more she shined. Her husband was an engineer in South Korea, and later on in life they became missionaries. They started churches on six or seven islands around Korea that never had a church. This lady changed the world. She truly shined.

Her life was obedient to this command that Jesus gave in Matthew 5, and we looked at this in our study of The Sermon on the Mount. These are from verses 14, 15, and 16. You remember these words: "You are the light of the world. A City built on a hill cannot be hid. People do not light a lamp and put it under the bushel basket; rather, they put it on the lampstand, and there it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your father in Heaven."

I think you would likely agree there's just too much darkness in this world. This world needs us to shine. What if someone through dirty water on your head after you had washed their feet? We have a choice to shine or not to shine. We can be part of the problem, or we can be part of the Divine solution. God bless you as you shine.

Kai has a daughter named Grace. Great name. Do you know what she does? She and her husband are missionaries in Hawaii. Like her mother before her, she is changing the world for the good. She's shining. I hope you do too.

Pray with me. Father, thank you for the people you put in our lives that, well, they shine. They point to you by their words and their deeds and just by being around them. I thank you for Kai and her Legacy. I pray for grace and her husband as they spread the news of Jesus around the world.

I pray for all of our missionaries, I, that, uh, are in need of prayer, and as they shine. And really, ultimately, all of us are missionaries to our, our homes, to our neighbors, to our workplace. Let us shine for you. In Jesus name, amen. God bless. Thanks for joining me today.