We are Called to Shine

“Do all things without complaining and disputing, that you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world,” Philippians 2:14-15 NKJV

In a story titled “Fastest runners shine in Seattle Marathon as new course debuts at Lake Union” published Sunday, the writer reported that the 55th annual Seattle Marathon concluded on November 30 at Pier 66 in downtown Seattle, marking another successful year for the iconic race.

This year's marathon introduced a new course that took runners along the northern edge of Lake Union after crossing the Montlake Bridge. The fastest male runner completed the 26.2-mile course in an impressive 2 hours and 17 minutes, while the fastest female runner finished in 2 hours and 49 minutes.

Approximately 8,500 participants took part in the half and full marathons, making it one of the largest turnouts in the event's history.

Wow right? It’s no wonder these runners were said to “shine!” With the average marathon mile pace coming in at 10:30 per mile, the male runner clocked a 5:15 minute mile pace for 26.2 miles and the female kept a 6:26 mile pace for the same distance. With that speed, it was easy to see that the winners were far from the norm.

In the same way these winners stood out from the norm, believers are called to stand out from the norm as well. In fact, believers are called to “shine as lights in the world.” This is something we do by refusing to adopt to the customs and ways of this ”crooked and perverse generation" and by doing “all things without complaining and disputing.”

You see, we live in a world where it’s become the norm for people to grumble about their circumstances or to whine about the things they don’t have and gripe about things they feel they deserve, even expressing attitudes of entitlement. But believers are not to adopt to this worldly way of thinking or acting. We are to always show ourselves to be “children of God without fault” through the faith and trust we display in the Lord.

“Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.” James 1:17

This faith and trust shows itself in a humble submission to Christ—being thankful for all that we have rather than moaning or whining about what we don’t have. This faith and trust shows itself in a confident reliance on God—acknowledging that He is the Giver of all good things and is more than capable of taking care of us. This faith and trust refuses to fear the future and shows itself in a peaceful, gentle and contrite spirit that every true believer should have.

In this way, we “shine” bright in a dark world. And the brighter our lights shine, the more we shine the light on the “Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.” Which means, it's a great time to be a believer! 

So refuse to be like the world my friend. Seek to stand out from the norm! Seek to be known for your joy, kindness, and sunny disposition so that the lost will see Christ in you by the way you shine His love and will be inspired to follow Him. 

Heavenly Father, thank You for reminding us that we are to be so set apart from the world that we shine as lights. As this world gets darker and darker, help us to courageously go out into all the world and illuminate the path to You and to push back the darkness, no matter the opposition that might come our way. It’s in your precious name we pray Jesus. Amen.

Happy Running!