envelop spinner search close plus arrow-right arrow-left facebook twitter

Daily Devotional

by Geoffrey Turner on March 27, 2020

Matthew 5:13-16

13 “You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people's feet.

14 “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 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. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that[b]they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.

In this part of Matthew, Jesus has just begun preaching the most important sermon that anyone has ever given, the Sermon on the Mount. Matthew 5-7 house some of the most important practical aspects of being a follower of Jesus. We, the followers of Jesus, have such a unique opportunity in the midst of the chaos happening in the world because of COVID-19. Jesus says, “Let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.”

The world right now is in chaos. It feels dark and foreboding. Jesus says, guess what? We have the antidote for darkness…light. The followers of Jesus get to look at a world that is searching for hope, peace, calm, joy, and proclaim, guess what? We know where the only true source of light is! Jesus! He outlines for us what that might look like, our deeds. The actions that we take and the works that we do in this season, get to breath the light of Jesus into the world. Jesus says that when we chose to let our actions reflect the light we have in Jesus, that people’s hearts will be turned towards the Father. What a unique opportunity the church has right now. People are searching for the light that we posses, and when we let our actions reflect the light of Jesus, people’s hearts will give glory not to us, but to the Father.

For us to shine the light of Jesus, we also have to be walking in the light of Jesus. In your life right now, do you feel like you are receiving the light offered to us in the hope of Jesus? If not, is there anything you need to lay down at His feet and ask him to shoulder?

Phil. 4 says, “4 Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. 5 Let your reasonableness[d]be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; 6 do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”Are there anxieties and worries you need to exchange for the peace of God in this season? 

Once we are walking in that light, we have something that we world desperately needs! Ask the Lord if there are people in your life right now, even in the midst of social distancing, that you can shine the light of Jesus on? What are some practical ways you can allow your good works to illuminate the hope/peace/joy that is found in Jesus?

 

Listen and meditate today on one of the songs from our Beltway Park Church Worship Spotify playlist: Goodness of God 

Listen Here! 

Let’s go illuminate the world in the goodness of God!

Tags:
hope, light, peace

About the Author
Geoffrey Turner

I was born and raised in the great metropolis that is Lubbock, Texas. In 2003, in February of my junior year of high school, my family moved to Abilene. Yes, if you’re curious, that is not the easiest time to move from a private school you’ve gone to since Kindergarten into a public school that had as many kids per grade as the entire school I came from.

My first Sunday at Beltway, my family went out to lunch with another family in our church, and I left that lunch pretty enamored with the girl who sat across from me during lunch. A few months later, we started dating, and got married in 2006. My wife Sarah grew up at Beltway since she was in middle school. We’ve been around this community for a long time! It has shaped us, encouraged us, challenged us, built us up, and pushed us further when we needed it. Sarah is incredibly talented and creative. She works for a construction company in town and runs a floral business in her spare time. When people ask me who does the handiwork around our house…it is Sarah. We have 2 beautiful daughters, Berkley was born in 2011, and Ellie was born in 2013.

I started working at Beltway in 2007. I have held multiple jobs around here. I was a part of our student ministry for about a decade, and then I became our College Pastor in late 2016. I was then the North Campus Pastor until 2021, and now I am our Weekend Services Pastor.

One of the things that I am most passionate about in ministry is helping people realize how the Lord sees them. As a creator who made them intentional and with a purpose. As a protector who wants to be there to guard them. As a Father who wants to be “Abba” to them. As a savior who wants to spend eternity with them. As a healer who wants to heal both the physical, spiritual, and emotional wounds for them. As a connector who wants to see them connected to the community that is the local church. This list could go on and on and on, because we serve such an amazing, faithful, and kind Lord!     

return to Blog

More from Blog