"Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel,
but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in
the house.  Let your light so shine before men, that they may
see your good works and glorify your Father which is in heaven."
- Matthew 5:15, 16

When the light goes out...

...darkness consumes everything.

I know, because I saw it happen again as I was watching a candle flicker in our bathroom a few days ago.  My wife had lit the jar candle to release the sweet smell of the perfumed wax.  It had been burning for a while and I decided to put the flame out.

I placed the lid on top of the jar which held the candle.  Only when I sat the lid on the jar, the lid didn't fit snugly onto it.  So, there was still a trickle of air making its way into the jar.  Which, kept the candle burning, albeit very dimly.

Then, I went ahead and put the lid on the jar and the flame went completely out.  And darkness settled in.

Now, for some reason, this really struck me as I watched the flame slowly fade.  I thought about why the flame was extinguished and I realized that it was SOLELY because the fuel supply was cut off.

It started when I placed the lid on top of the jar.  The oxygen from the air began to be used up and, because only a small amount was entering the jar, the flame began to grow weaker.  And when the flame grew weaker, the light grew fainter.  Then, when the lid was placed tightly on, the fuel was completely cut off...

...and both the flame and the light could no longer be seen.

Now, I said all of that to say this:  You and I are called to be lights in this world.  In fact, Jesus used the illustration of a candle in describing this light.

But, here's the problem, satan wants us to PUT A LID ON IT and stop it from shining forth!

And so, he tries to keep us from our fuel source, the Lord Jesus.  You see, PRAYER and BIBLE READING and CHURCH and FELLOWSHIP WITH OTHER CHRISTIANS - these are all ways that God continues to provide the refueling that we need in order to keep the candle burning.

That's why it is so important that you begin your day in prayer and reading God's Word...you need your fuel for the day.  Because, without fuel, your light is going to be awfully dim!

Why not pull into God's Gas Station and refuel?

He's open 24 hours a day, you know.

Have a "Wonderful DAY in Christ,"
Jimmy D. Brown
\o/ Praise Jesus!