"In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for
all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father." Matthew 5:16 NLT
She'd been in the closet for five years. Now she was coming out.
Collecting old picture frames with photos of unknown
dead people is a hobby my wife doesn't particularly appreciate. She does love
the old frames with the ornate handiwork and will gladly replace the dead person
with a modern piece of art.
This particular closet dweller hung on my office wall
for 3 years, eyes following everyone who looked at her regardless of where they
stood. Then we moved to our current residence, and my wife said, "No dead people
hanging on our walls-except in your office." But my dead girl with the roving
eyes wasn't even allowed there. I convinced my wife not to sell her. Instead,
she stuck her in a closet.
One day when I came home from work, I found my girl
leaning against a bookshelf. My wife had cleaned the closet in my study.
"Why is my dead girl picture out of the closet?" I
asked.
"I have a place on the wall you can hang her." And she
did. Now as I walk in every morning, her wandering eyes greet me. I'm glad she
got to come out of the closet.
Jesus doesn't like closet dwellers either. He wants
our lights-our good deeds, to shine brightly before others. Putting a light
under a cover or shielding it only dims the light or extinguishes it altogether.
The light I have as a believer is my testimony of what
Christ has done in my life as well as how I act out daily the difference He has
made. I don't have to preach a sermon to tell others what He has done. Because
of the snippet-world technology has created, I need to shorten my testimony to
the bare essentials so I can share it in a minute or two.
But what I say isn't nearly as important as what
others see. Words mean little without actions to back them. God gives me
numerous opportunities to act out my faith in practical ways. And I'll see them
if I ask Him to give me a gentle nudge when He sends them my way.
Don't hide your faith. Come out of the closet.
Martin Wiles
Hodges,
South Carolina, USA
The Illustrator: This daily newsletter is dedicated to encouraging
everyone to look towards Jesus as the source of all the solutions to our
problems. It contains a daily inspirational story, a Bible verse and encouraging
messages. HTML and plain text versions available.
The Nugget: Published three times a week, this newsletter features inspirational devotionals and mini-sermons dedicated to drawing mankind closer to each other and to Christ.