| Philippians 2:14-15 – “Do everything without grumbling or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, “children of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation.” Then you will shine among them like stars in the sky.” |
What do you leave as a residue in your life?
Some who are wealthy leave large gifts to institutions — buildings with their names etched in granite. Others bestow inheritances on their children or fund worthy causes through their wills.
But what if you are not wealthy? What can you leave?
The answer lives in a story Harry Lauder told of his boyhood, in the days before electric lights changed everything. A gas lamp had to be lit by hand for the street to be seen at night.
Lauder remembered watching from the window of his home during the gathering twilight as the lamplighter made his way up the hilly street, long pole in hand, touching each lamp to life. One by one, the lamps caught. As the road sloped downward, the lamplighter disappeared from view — but the trail of light he left behind still burned against the evening sky.
“That,” said Lauder, “is what is meant by a genuine Christian — one who is a light to his fellowman while still living, and whose way has been marked by lights when he has left the world.”
Paul understood exactly what Lauder meant. He lived in a darkened world, where a small wick floating in olive oil cast only a flickering shadow on the wall. In that darkness, he told the Philippians that their behavior was not going unnoticed. In fact, it could do something remarkable.
“Do everything without grumbling or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, “children of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation.” Then you will shine among them like stars in the sky.” (Philippians 2:14–15, NIV)
Before you convince yourself that you have nothing to offer this world, shed your light. Show what goodness and faithfulness look like. And even when you are gone, the glow from your life will remain.
–Robert G. Taylor
robertgtaylor.com
