Doom and Gloom Merchants
Matthew 5:15,16 People don’t hide a lamp under a bowl. They put it on a lampstand. Then the light shines for everyone in the house. In the same way, you should be a light for other people. Live so that they will see the good things you do and praise your Father in heaven.
Over these past couple of years, there’s been a lot of doom and gloom doing the rounds – both in the media and in people’s lives, fuelled by what I call ‘the doom and gloom merchants.
You know the sort of people I’m talking about: the journalists who want to increase their audience by focussing on all the bad stuff: the people in social media who want to peddle conspiracy theories: and those who sit and home consuming all this stuff, focussing on it and allowing it to drag them down.
None of that is to say that we haven’t been through difficult times together. Of course, we have, but… man oh man, this incessant negativity has been dragging people down into some deep, dark holes.
It takes courage to go against the flow at the best of times, but in dark times it’s even harder still to shine a light.
Matthew 5:15,16 People don’t hide a lamp under a bowl. They put it on a lampstand. Then the light shines for everyone in the house. In the same way, you should be a light for other people. Live so that they will see the good things you do and praise your Father in heaven.
Jesus spoke those words to people during tough times – ordinary folk like you and me, who were under Roman occupation, who were struggling farmers and shopkeepers trying to make ends meet.
And He told them to get out there and shine the light – His light – the light that they could have, simply by hoping in Him and doing good in the name of God. Can I ask you ,,, how could you do that? How could you shine the hope you have in Jesus into some dark and gloomy lives today?
Don’t hide your lamp under a bowl.
That’s God’s Word. Fresh … for you … today.
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