BEEN THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD

By Bishop Simeon Agbolabori

It has been said that people do not read the Bible but the lives of those who profess to be Christians no wonder Jesus said to His disciple in Matthew 5: 13 – 16

“Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? It is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men

Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid.

Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and giveth light unto all that are in the house

Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.”

These few verses of the scripture describe the heart of Jesus toward our Christian faith as to helping the less privileged among us

First he described us as SALT OF THE EARTH, meaning that each and every one of us is to sweeten the life of someone else, we should put smiles on people’s face, you are only relevant to the kingdom of God when you spice up the live of someone around you.

The worth of your life is not in the abundance of ‘things” you have gathered for personal selfish and self-centered lifestyle but in that which flows through you to others.

If you refuse your grain of corn to fall down and die, it abides alone but if you allow it to drop and die, it brings forth much fruit. A life that gives, that share with others is an evergreen life but that which hoards is a progressively dying one.

Jesus taught us to also be the LIGHT OF THE WORLD, your faith can not be perceived, it has to be seen, the love of God toward us was seen by Him given his only begotten son to die a physical death on the cross for our sin, the Bible said He did not wait for us to love Him or be perfect before he extended His love toward us.

You should let a bowel of love and compassion be in you, you should ache when others ache, you should let the love of Christ compel you to see that no one around you that you have ability to lighten their burden pass by you without you helping them.

SPIRITUAL SHEEP AND GOATS

Jesus in Matthew 25:31-46

31 “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne. 32 All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33 He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.

34 “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. 35 For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36 I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’

37 “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38 When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39 When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’

40 “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’

41 “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. 42 For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, 43 I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’

44 “They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’

45 “He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’

46 “Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.”

The scripture above is self-explanatory, Jesus called those who help others as Sheep and those who do not as goats and foretold of the final destination of each group.

DEAD FAITH

James 2 has so much to say about active and inactive faith he stated that faith without corresponding work of love is dead, but one with work of love is alive. What kind of faith is yours?

He said if you see a brother or a sister naked or destitute of daily food and you said to them depart in peace be warmed and be filled and you didn’t give them things needful to the body what profit is that your prophesy to him or her. Your speaking in tongue and prophesy is worthless without reaching to someone in need.

TRUE RELIGION

“Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction,…”  Jas. 1:27