Growth Points: Pursue God’s Kingdom

Flip the switch.

“Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and He will give you everything you need.”
-Matthew 6:33

A few weeks ago, I saw some northern lights. Even though I didn’t catch them at their apex, they were beautiful. As I stood on a crunchy gravel road, enduring the chill as I looked at the sky, an analogy popped into my mind.

I hear people use the northern lights as an example of God’s beautiful creation. What struck me goes in another direction. Here’s a photo…

Maybe you’re thinking, “That photo sucks, the northern lights are so dim I can barely see them.” And you’re exactly right. When I drove out on that Fall night, the northern lights were dim. Only, there weren’t any clouds in the sky, and it wasn’t hazy. Why were they so bright an hour before? Why were they dim now?

There were other lights. House lights from down the road, car headlights, etc. These lesser lights rendered it near-impossible for me to see the light. Do you get where I’m going with this?

Today’s growth point is…

You will hear Christians say, “I’d love to pursue God’s Kingdom, but I don’t have any passion for Christ.” This is a classic example of Northern Lights Syndrome. It’s tempting to think that your lack of zeal for serving God exists because He doesn’t exist. This isn’t so. You don’t have any desire to serve God because there are other lights in your sky. God is always there, yet the lights of this world mask the true light.

What did Jesus say about this?

In His Words…

As Jesus said in Matthew 6:23,

“But when your eye is unhealthy, your whole body is filled with darkness. And if the light you think you have is actually darkness, how deep that darkness is!”

Jesus makes it clear: if we can’t see God, the problem isn’t with God; it’s with our eyes. The more we look to this world’s lights, the dimmer God’s light becomes. We were instructed not to love this world (1 John 2:15). This sounds easy in principle, but it’s way harder to live out.

A caveat: when we’re told to hate the world and love God, that doesn’t mean we hate everyone in the world. As my pastor put it, we’re meant to hate the world’s systems. Nowhere in Scripture are we told to hate the people in the world. Our society already does a good enough job of that. We’re called to fight the evil systems of our world.

How do we do it?

Room to Grow.

If you’ve made it to this point, I hope we agree that the light of Christ is our top priority. We can’t have any other lights in the sky. Every alternative source of light only detracts from the true light.

Today I’d like to share three action steps. I hope they’ll illuminate you…

1. Don’t Allow Add-Ons

“And I solemnly declare to everyone who hears the words of prophecy written in this book: If anyone adds anything to what is written here, God will add to that person the plagues described in this book.”
-Revelation 22:18

Christianity is not a video game or software where you can download plug-ins, add-ons, or extensions. Unfortunately, syncretism is bucking this. Syncretism wants you to believe that all roads can lead to God. Hey, if you like this part of another religion or only this part of Christianity, just copy + paste it into your enlightened religion. Find something else, do it again.

Syncretism is incredibly dangerous. It allows us to customize God’s Word based on personal preference. Moreover, it lets us choose which “lights” we want to see. Say you’re watching the northern lights, but you bring a pack of Syncretic Fireworks along. At first, the northern lights seem clear. They may even appear better with the added pops of colour from the fireworks. But as you start to launch those rockets of deceit and lies, one by one, the true light becomes dim. Soon all you have is a sky of smoke.

Akin to virtual add-ons slowing down your game or computer, having a ton of spiritual plug-ins causes your walk with God to drag. If you’re struggling to see His light, ask yourself…

Have I allowed myself to compromise on God’s Word?

2. Fix Your Eyes

“And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before Him He endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”
-Hebrews 12:1-2

Now that we’ve deleted those unnecessary add-ons, let’s repair our vision. When I let sin into my life, it dims my vision. Some refer to Christianity as a lens through which we see the world. Every time I sin, I smudge that lens. And, at least when it comes to my camera lens, it’s near impossible to remove that smudge from the image after you’re done shooting. You’ve gotta wipe it clean before you take the photo.

There’s this notion that since Christ cleaned our slate, why not create a sin-repent cycle? Paul addresses this in Romans 6:1-2: “Well then, should we keep on sinning so that God can show us more and more of His wonderful grace? Of course not! Since we have died to sin, how can we continue to live in it?”

I mean, if you wanna take advantage of God’s grace by sinning, I suppose you can. However, it’s the equivalent of going through life with a clouded lens. It dims everything you see. Which is why we need to fix our eyes. If you ask God, He is happy to help. Ask Him to forgive your sins and commit to seeking His help in purging them from your life.

If you’re seeing God’s light only dimly, ask yourself…

Have I clouded my vision?

3. Let Your Light Shine

“No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father.”
-Matthew 5:15-16

Living a sin-free life isn’t all Jesus wants for us. We can cut the add-ons and clean our lens, but if our light doesn’t shine, it’s worthless. Jesus was clear on this. If you can’t see God’s light, could it be that you aren’t looking? God’s light should illuminate our lives, but through His Spirit, we should “glow” too. Jesus didn’t leave us in the dark when He went to Heaven; He made us the light of the world.

By obeying His commands and seeking His will (through prayer, the Word, worship, giving, community, serving, etc.), we cause our lights to shine brighter.

WARNING: We cannot shine for personal glory. Like the lights on the edge of an airport runway, we guide people to Christ. If people start following us, instead of aiming for the “airport” of Christ, they’ll miss the runway and crash.

We’re called to shine our light as a means of reflecting – as though off a mirror – God’s light. In every action, interaction, and reaction, we are called to glorify God. If you want steps for how to do that, I’d encourage you to talk with a pastor (or read this entire series if you haven’t yet).

We see the light by living in the light. So ask yourself…

Am I living in God’s light, and am I living out that light?

In Summary.

God’s light will always be there. If we can’t see it, that’s because we’re fallen beings. It takes effort to connect with God and to live out His will on Earth. But it can be done. The requirement: get rid of every competing light. If that’s certain people, activities, your phone, an addiction, etc., ask God to help you overcome.

Lately, God has been teaching me how to dim the other lights so I can see Him clearly. I’m still learning, but I’m making progress. Will you join me? Will you turn off the lights so you can let the light shine in your life?

God’s light sure is beautiful.

As John 1:5 reads,

“The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.”