Hill

Matthew 5:14-15 ” You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden.  Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house.”

Upon reading this passage, I found myself getting frustrated with God.  I do that often and that rarely ends well, but I was frustrated to say the least.  Why would I be frustrated too? This verse is so uplifting, Jesus is calling me a light.

Every American Christian seems to have a calling – India, Sudan, Invisible Children, Ecuador, Homeless Missions, High schoolers, Middle schoolers, etc. I didn’t know what mine was, I didn’t feel God calling me anywhere in particular and I felt as if I wasn’t living the real American Christian experience.  Organized ministries I was involved with, I felt as if my role was diminishing.

I understood I was a light and that I was supposed to shine, I just didn’t have a hill to sit on. I wasn’t on a stand; I don’t think I was under a basket either, but I wasn’t able to fill the whole house with light.  I felt as if I was waiting and waiting and waiting and waiting and waiting on the Lord for my “calling”.  I would think to myself, ‘Oh, that’ll be me one day, but I’m just “in-training” for my pedestal.’ The problem with that is that it isn’t Biblical; it isn’t participating in the Kingdom.  As Christians, we aren’t supposed to sit and wait but rather go and do and use the power of the Holy Spirit to be that light of the world and we constantly neglect that.

Now I’m going to go to Luke to make the point because I think it is worded best in that account:

Luke 4:1And Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness for forty days, being tempted by the devil and he ate nothing during those days. And when they were ended, he was hungry.

And a few verses later after Jesus was tempted by the Devil:

Luke 4:14 And Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit to Galilee, and a report about him went out through all the surrounding country.

I know that I, being saved, have the Holy Spirit dwelling inside of me – I know that God has filled me with the Holy Spirit, but there is a difference between being filled in the Spirit and employing the Spirit’s power in everyday life.  Jesus was filled with the Holy Spirit at his baptism and when he went up onto the mountain but scripture says that he had the power of the Spirit in him when he returned and started His ministry.

There is a drastic difference in being full of the Spirit and the the power of the Spirit.  By waiting for our hill, we are just sitting in the fullness of the Spirit and not stepping forward and using the Spirit.  Walking in the Spirit, I don’t use the Spirit’s power every day to guide me.  By waiting for my calling to missions, I am not shining to the area in which I am in now.  I go to Flagler for a reason and that is to do work for the Kingdom by making disciples.  Not to wait for my calling.  Maybe God will grace me with a calling while I’m here, but that isn’t the sole reason I’m at school.  I don’t have these relationships with nonbelievers for the fun of it, God has placed these relationships in my life so that I can use the power of the Spirit to be a light.  This is my hill.  Where ever I am, where ever you are, we are on the stand for our light already and that is by and through the power of the Holy Spirit and nothing else.

Romans 8:33-37 Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died – more than that was raised – who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us. Who sahll separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger or sword? As it is written, “For your sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.” No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.

We are here to conquer through Him who loved us.  We aren’t here to sit and wait, we are here to conquer.  We have the power of the Holy Spirit. God is for us, Jesus is interceding for us.  We have nothing to lose and only Christ to gain. Don’t make the same mistake I made and wait patiently but rather go out and serve the Lord in everything.  Don’t preach words when necessary, they’re always necessary.  We can’t be scared. This is it, this is how we as Christians, can love the Lord with all of our heart, souls, and mind.  We’re on our stand, we are a city on a hill, we’re shining – don’t let fear eclipse. Realize that you’re where you are for a reason and utilize the power of the Spirit within you to spread the Gospel.