Speaker 1: Most of us eat every day, some of us too
much because yesterday's food is not enough to supply energy
for today's needs. Why then, do some of us expect
yesterday's portion of heavenly manna the word of God to
keep us through today's challenges. On this program, we are
going to change all of that. Let's experience God's words
today and receive the power we need to live healthy.
Speaker 2: Vibrant lives.
Speaker 1: Welcome to your Daily Portion with your host, author speaker,
Elle David Harris.
Speaker 2: Good morning, good morning, Good morning, it is Friday. It's
September nineteen, twenty twenty five. Hello, my name is El
David Harris. I am your host, and this is your
Daily Portion where we give you God's word every single day,
and today is no exception. We are continuing in our
Lesson study series through the Book of Exodus, and our
caption for today is shine as Lights. Now we're getting
into that imperative stylele shine as Lights. Before we get
into this, I'd like to just say welcome to everyone
joining us, especially those joining us for the very first time.
Please go over to your Daily Portion dot com. Please
join our online community and also let us know where
you are in the world at your Daily Portion dot com.
This is one of the ways that we continue to
build faith and fellowship. Let's go ahead and pray and
get underway. Father, thank you for giving us the privilege
of reflecting you, and now it becomes a command that
we should shine as lights in this wicked and perverse generation. Yes,
please give us that privilege and power and the desire
and the drive. In Jesus' name, I pray a men
and a men again shine as lights. So we're going
to just begin because we've really, we've really been pressing
the issue for several days. Now we're going to go
into our Life Application Guide and let's go into the
relationship application Relationship application for this concept. And for those
who are not familiar with the Life Application Guide that
you can find at your Daily Portion dot com. We
use the WYN acronym in four key areas of our development,
personal development, spiritual development, professional and relationship development. So let's
go to application for relationships w What is important now,
considering we have the privilege and now the call and
command to shine as lights, your actions shape others' view
of Christ. Focus on that reality. How are you going
to relate to people when somebody cuts you off on
the road. You may not see that as a relationship,
but you have to relate to the other driver. Ah,
if God forbid, you get pulled over by the by
law enforcement. And maybe it's just in Jamaica. There are
what's called like safety stops that well, I'll just leave
that right there. So there are times that you get stopped,
not necessarily because they say you did anything. Well, how
are you going to relate to them? How about your family?
Are you very kind to the people on the outside,
the people on the road, the people in the taxi,
the people in the food spot that you get sometimes
you get a meal when you didn't get it at home.
Are you more kind to the people in your church
community than you are to your spouse, to your children,
to the people who know you best? Are you? Are
you kinder and better with them outside of your house
than the ones on the inside. So your actions in
reality shape others view of Christ. I know that my
daddy's his actions when I was young. I'm not going
to depress y'all, but yeah, that shaped my view of Christ.
But God, I'm glad that God gives us new view.
But it would be wonderful if people could get an
accurate view through our lives, and then I internalize the
insight the way believers, that's you, that's me treat others
draw either draws people closer to God or pushes them away.
Now we're getting closer. Yeah, yeah, yeah yeah. Are you
drawing people to Christ? He said? If I be lifted up,
like if you lift me up, then I will draw
people to myself. Are people being drawn to God based
on their experience with you?
Speaker 1: Or not?
Speaker 2: Kind? Gracious, humble, and forgiving people embody Christ's love and
inspire faith. But then there is the flip side. Conversely,
arrogance and unforgiveness cause pain and can damage testimony. Next
best move, Now, what do we do? What do we do?
Reflect on a relationship where you're attitude could better reflect
Christ's love. You have to be honest with yourself. I'll
be honest with mine. Commit to pray for that person
and seek to show grace in your next interaction. Yeah.
Are you in a situation where you need to forgive
that person? Or maybe you're in a position where you
need to be forgiven because of something that you have
done or neglected to do. In that situation, how would
Jesus guide you to live, commit to talking to God
about that, and then become the reflection of God's character
and will. So we're going to do now is open
up the Bible and glean some more lessons directly from scripture,
beginning with Matthew chapter five and verse sixteen. You were
expecting this, let your light so shine before men, that
when they see your good works, they will glorify your Father,
which is in heaven. Mm. Yeah, yeah, yeah yeah. So
begin to ask God to help you reflect his character today.
That's very simple. We've already said that. The Bible reads
in tewod Corinthians, chapter four and verse sixteen. For God,
who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath
shined in our hearts. I think there's an echo in here.
Didn't we read this the other day? To give the
light of the knowledge of the glory of God in
the face of Jesus. So, when God's light fills your heart,
how do you get the light of God to fill
your heart? Well? First going into prayer, speaking to God
as to a friend. Yeah, telling him all that is
going on in your mind where relating to him and
to people is concerned. Yielding in ways, in areas where
maybe you have not yielded your will to him. Maybe
there is a way that you have to amend your actions,
how you read to people, how you've maybe neglected your
relationship with Him. And you're like, God, I want to
talk to you more. I want to listen to what
you say. More. I want to live according to the
principles you've shown me, even in my professional life. More.
I want to be a better steward of the things
that You've entrusted to me, so I can be of
more help and of more value to people more, you see.
So in that case, In that case, go into the
scriptures and prayer so that God's presence continually is renewed
and brightens your life, so that you become more of
a witness. Yeah. And then finally, in Philippians, chapter two
and verse fifteen, the Bible says that ye may be
blameless and harmless, the sons of God. Of course, this
means the children of God without rebuke, in the midst
of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine
as lights in the world. Some of you have positions
of influence. Some of you are working in situations where
the tide has changed. Where things seem to be equitable
in the past, now it's not. Where things used to
be guided by rules that make sense and protocols that
made sense, that were objective and fair, but now they
are not. And now you have to make a decision
in that crooked and perverse reality. Will you be as
a light shining or will you be as someone who
is complaining? Will you be around the water cooler like
everybody else that's talking about how bad and how wrong
and how terrible things are? Or will you become the
change that you seek? Will you become a person that
at least adds principle to the conversation. Whether the leaders
accept or not, that's up to them. But as far
as your concern, will you shine for Christ? That means
living so that people are drawn to him, not to you,
yeah to him so intentionally redirect hahaha, praise or attention
you receive to God, acknowledging him as the source of
any good that people see. Let's see if we can
get this quote from Christ's object Lessons, page three hundred
and forty. The light that shines from a pure, unselfish
life will be a blessing to all within the sphere
of its influence, Christ will be revealed in the character
and humans will be drawn to him. Shine as lights
wherever you are, and God will get the glory. Peace.
Speaker 1: Thanks for joining us listening.
Speaker 2: Friends.
Speaker 1: Always remember we cannot live by bread alone, but by
every word that comes from the mouth of God. This
has been your daily portion with el David Harris, make
it a great day. Yeah,