Shining like stars
by Jim Strelan
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So that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe as you hold out the word of life (Philippians 2:15,16a).
Read Philippians 2:12–18
With social media, the ease of taking and posting photos, and the popularity of Instagram and karaoke, it seems as though everyone wants to be a star these days.
If you follow football at all, commentators are quick to label someone a star, even if they’ve played only a handful of games. But when it comes to our Christian walk, it’s often hard to tell who the Christians are and who aren’t. I’m not sure many Christians want to stand out. We prefer to just blend in. What about you?
The writer to the Philippian congregation encourages these followers of Jesus to stand out from the ‘crooked and depraved generation’ in which they live. God is at work in them (verse 13), and when God is at work, something of him rubs off on those who acknowledge him as God.
God is at work through Jesus and his Spirit, and where Jesus is, there is light because he is the light of the world. In Matthew 5:14, Jesus says, ‘You are the light of the world’, and goes on to illustrate how ridiculous it would be to hide a light under a bowl. You are light, so let your light shine.
How do we live as followers of Jesus in a world that largely ignores him? What do we do if we look at the signs of a world gone crazy and sense that Christ’s return might be soon? Do we gather in holy huddles, do we assemble on hilltops waiting for him? Do we become, as someone once said, so heaven-minded that we’re no earthly good? That’s not the message to the Philippians. Not complaining, not arguing, shining like stars because you have the light of Christ in you.
If you want to be a star, just be what and who you are. Apparently stars shine because of nuclear fusion happening deep inside their cores (thanks, Dr Google). What happens in your core when you are aligned with Jesus causes you to shine. Let it.
Light of the world, shine your light in me so that I can be like a star in the universe, reflecting the word of life which transforms and makes a difference. Amen.
Jim is a retired pastor living with his wife Ruth in Deception Bay, Queensland. He spends his retirement making space to add more Lions’ premiership posters to the six (3+3) he already has on his garage wall.
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