darkness will only go as far as light allows. [aka never leave your flashlight at home]

Tonight on my drive home from a friends I passed the same church I have passed on my way home for over 20 years. This time, though, I noticed that there was a light shining on the steeple of the church. This was the first time I can remember noticing a light put on the roof of a church specifically to point toward the steeple. Interesting.

So my mind wondered and pondered on the significance of lighting a steeple. Was this a brilliant idea or a waste of electricity? I have often seen lights pointed at flags at night as a sign of respect toward the flag. A flag, as I understand it is never supposed to be in darkness. Also, as I understand it, keeping a flag in the light reflects the power of that which it represents.

At the top of this lit-up steeple was a cross, the symbol of the Christian faith. But so much more than that, the cross represents struggle not only of one man Jesus Christ, but also of the vast number of men and women who have given their lives in the name of the faith so that those of us living today might have the opportunity to both hear and share the story of the Christ and His great love and salvation.

The cross also represents victory, for on the cross Jesus Christ gave His life so that NONE shall perish but have everlasting life should they believe on Him and accept His forgiveness. The day of the resurrection was the day of defeat for the Devil, and it scared him (the devil) so badly that he still fights today trying to find some sense of gain. Don't let the devil be victorious over you.

And although the cross represents and embodies so much, as a summary it represents love and promise. The promise that Jesus Christ will love you no matter what, even if you will not let Him be your Savior (though this love will not rescue you from Hell if you do not accept His grace). The love of Christ was perfect and not vengeful--so pure, in fact, that though we back stab Him nearly every day (sometimes unbeknownst to us) He still offers the most genuine love in return. Also, the love of Jesus is so great that He gives us our own free will--that is, we can decide whether to follow Him or not and whether to truly accept His grace and love and allow it to fill our hearts and change our lives. What power He has given us!

So this cross at the top of a steeple was clearly something that deserved to be highlighted, even into the night--for learning from God is a never ending process. Also, the cross most certainly deserves the utmost respect, and the light is a symbol of respect due to the symbol representing the ultimate love and sacrifice.

A wise Christian gentleman once told me that the steeple represents our relationship with God. The closer we get to Jesus, the bigger He becomes in our lives and the smaller ourselves (our own desires and selfish motives) become. Just as the steeple gets smaller the further up it goes getting closer to the cross or closer to Heaven, we also are to make our own desires and human nature smaller as we become more and more like Christ. This is clearly explained in Luke 9:23-26, "Then he said to them all: 'Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will save it. What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit their very self? Whoever is ashamed of me and my words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of them when he comes in his glory and in the glory of the Father and of the holy angels.'"

The words of Christ are beautiful, but their significance did not end at the cross upon which He sacrificed His life for you. Still today, He reigns, and you can accept His salvation by confessing with your mouth that He is Lord and believing in your heart that He can forgive you of your sins. It's powerful stuff to be taken seriously. And if you have accepted His salvation, your journey is not over. Taking up your cross is a daily walk--symbolism of the struggle of carrying something in your lifestyle that although extremely rewarding eternally, the world may not be very happy about. Like I said earlier, the devil is losing and realizes it, so he appeals to the weaknesses and temptations of people of the world to try to tear us apart from the perfect rewarding love of God. Don't let him do that, God promises there is nothing--no temptation, nothing that is too much for us to handle with His help (1 Corinthians 10:12-13) and that will separate us from his love (Romans 8:38-39).

So carry on, and like the steeple, stand upright and reflect His light. Be courageous in the one you know and all He's done and will do for you.



Referenced Verses:
1 Corinthians 10:12-13--"So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall! No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it."

Romans 8:38-39--"For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord."

P.S.--the light on the steeple was not in the least bit a waste of electricity, but instead, a lesson well learned. Thank you, God, for sharing one more glimpse of You with us.

Shine on.