Every year, when the NCAA basketball tournament reaches its conclusion, one team stands above the rest as the NCAA championship. March Madness ends with a flurry of confetti falling down on the victors, as they climb up ladders to cut down the nets as a reminder of their shining moment. They are the champions! They are on the top of the world, in a manner of speaking. And for as long as I can remember, as these festivities are taking place, a song begins to play. A song which contains the line, "one shining moment."
For these players, this is their shining moment. For many of them, they will never again acheive such heights in their life in terms of accomplishments. For some, it might even be the final competitive game of basketball that they play in their lives. For others who move on, there is no assurance that they will once again stand as the ultimate victor on the last day of the season. This is truly their one shining moment.
Reading through Ephesians 5, you come across verse 8, where Paul writes that Christians should walk as children of light. Our lives are not to be a reflected glory of one shining moment. Rather, we are to shine with God's glory, with the glory of being God's children, with the glory of being forgiven and redeemed by Jesus, and not just once or twice, and not just on Sundays, but every moment of life. We don't have one shining moment. Instead, we live a lifetime of shining moments, shining out God's grace in Jesus.
That's only possible for us because Jesus has redeemed us and made us God's own children. We shine a reflected light, but it's to be constantly shining in our lives. That is why we pay particular attention to the manner of life in which we live. We don't do it to draw attention to ourselves, but to show others that we are redeemed by God in Jesus, and that the light that shines in us is His light shining through us, every moment of every day.
Walk as children of light, my friends. Let God's light shine in you, and then through you, that people may not see one shining moment, but a lifetime of shining moments.
For these players, this is their shining moment. For many of them, they will never again acheive such heights in their life in terms of accomplishments. For some, it might even be the final competitive game of basketball that they play in their lives. For others who move on, there is no assurance that they will once again stand as the ultimate victor on the last day of the season. This is truly their one shining moment.
Reading through Ephesians 5, you come across verse 8, where Paul writes that Christians should walk as children of light. Our lives are not to be a reflected glory of one shining moment. Rather, we are to shine with God's glory, with the glory of being God's children, with the glory of being forgiven and redeemed by Jesus, and not just once or twice, and not just on Sundays, but every moment of life. We don't have one shining moment. Instead, we live a lifetime of shining moments, shining out God's grace in Jesus.
That's only possible for us because Jesus has redeemed us and made us God's own children. We shine a reflected light, but it's to be constantly shining in our lives. That is why we pay particular attention to the manner of life in which we live. We don't do it to draw attention to ourselves, but to show others that we are redeemed by God in Jesus, and that the light that shines in us is His light shining through us, every moment of every day.
Walk as children of light, my friends. Let God's light shine in you, and then through you, that people may not see one shining moment, but a lifetime of shining moments.
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