“As Long as I am in the World”

“As he passed by, he saw a man blind from birth. And his disciples asked him, ‘Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?  Jesus answered, ‘It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be displayed in him.  We must work the works of him who sent me while it is day; night is coming, when no one can work.  As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.’ Having said these things, he spit on the ground and made mud with the saliva. Then he anointed the man’s eyes with the mud  and said to him, ‘Go, wash in the pool of Siloam’ (which means Sent). So he went and washed and came back seeing.” John 9:1-7

Jesus was always about his Father’s business. He came to the world for a purpose and every second was spent to that end. His eyes, heart, and hands were daily living sacrifices, an offering that the works of his Father might be displayed and known. As he passed by… Wherever He went, He was intent on His Father’s next appointment. Present in the moment, along the day’s way, utilizing the ordinary, He brought the divine into the banal and made every moment count for glory.

We do not know the number of our days, nor the limit the Lord might impose on our capabilities. But we can seek God’s wisdom for every one of them, and make it our aim to please Him as long as we breathe. If we begin each day by offering ourselves as living sacrifices unto God’s will, He gives eyes to see His pathways, passion for His work, and ripe opportunities to make a difference. (Psalm 90:12; Job 14:5; Romans 12:1-2; Ephesians 5:15-16)

Sometimes He plants desire or a burden and we know not how to begin or execute. Would we seek His mind, and ask Him to orchestrate the details? Prayer awakens expectation and hones vision. In answer, we experience His intervention in opening next steps, arranging circumstances, and starting conversations, and can boldly take His lead. Taking up the mud, we can marvel at how He transforms willing effort into significant life changes. (2 Chronicles 20:12b; James 1:5)

As we pass by people and situations throughout our days, how intent are we on shining and spreading the light of Christ? How tuned in are we to specific divine appointments the Lord has assigned to us? How keen are we to recognize and how courageous to take up eternal causes? What distractions in the common and temporal works of man prevent us from focused employment in the heavenly work of God? What adjustments can we make in our schedules and ambitions to keep us occupied with God’s intentions over our own? (Ephesians 2:10; Philippians 2:13)

“A charge to keep I have, 
a God to glorify, 
a never-dying soul to save, 
and fit it for the sky. 

To serve the present age, 
my calling to fulfill, 
O may it all my pow’rs engage 
to do my Master’s will! “ ~Charles Wesley (1762)

Lord, as long as I am in this world, may I display Your light and honor Your name, to Your ends and glory.