Scripture for Today:  Acts 4:13   “When they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and discovered that they were uneducated and ordinary men, they were amazed and recognized these men had been with Jesus.”

We use lots of highlighters in our reading.  They are great for drawing attention to a particular passage.  They come in lots of colors but I am partial to the yellow.  The highlighter has been around since 1963.  But now there are ways to highlight texts on a computer screen as well.  I did not realize that the fluorescent colors (on paper) actually will glow under a black light.

Our verse for today describes two men who were uneducated and ordinary; Peter and John.  What made them remarkable and amazing is that they had spent time with Jesus and it showed.  Like a highlighter, the fact that they knew Jesus drew attention to their lives!  Because of their closeness to Jesus, they were able to live and testify with boldness.  Christ made that much of a difference in their lives.

Christ is the power and wisdom of God.  I am thankful that He chooses what is foolish to confound the wise!  He chooses the weak to confound the mighty!  (I Cor. 1:27)  That means that what was said about Peter and John can potentially be said about me as well!  It is Christ in me that sets me apart and makes me different.

I want Jesus to be seen in my every-day life.  He is to have the attention and the glory for everything positive.  It does not matter that I did not attend an Ivy League school.  It makes no difference that I am not a big name.  It is His life in me that makes life worth living!

Lord, highlight my life with Your presence today!

Scripture for Today:   Romans 1:8  “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth.”

One little drop of water is all it takes to make ever-widening ripples.  So many times we are unaware of the influence we have on those around us.  My husband and I were so surprised to hear of a most unusual meeting.  It took place in China.  A good friend of ours (American) was there for a conference.  He got to talking with a French man who spoke English.  Just to make conversation, he asked this French man if he knew Randy Kent, his only contact in France.  Lo and behold, this French man was a very good friend of ours that we have known for years!

There is a theory called, “the six degrees of separation.”  It suggests that everyone and everything is six or fewer steps away, by way of introduction, from any other person in the world.  We have seen all kinds of crisscrossing of our acquaintances on Facebook.  This theory looks more and more likely!

Our verse for today is a call to be witnesses for the Lord Jesus in the power of His Holy Spirit.  Our influence for Him does not stop at our home town.  We live in an age where our influence can be felt world wide.  Our world is becoming smaller and smaller.  We can speak of Him and see the ripples spread out and touch lives even on the other side of the world!

God uses even my little drop of a life to make ripples of influence for Him.  Please Lord, use me today to speak of You.

Scripture for Today:  Isaiah 42:8  “I am the Lord: that is My name; and My glory will I not give to another, neither My praise to graven images.”

Often when my children were young we would see a big bright moon in the sky and chant the little ditty, “I see the moon and the moon sees me.  God bless the moon and God bless me!”

The moon can be so beautiful and it inspires so many romantic scenarios!  But what is interesting about the moon is that it has no light of its own.  The light that it shines is the reflected light from the sun.  In fact, the side of the moon that is not facing the sun is always cold and dark.

In our verse today, there is only one Source of light or glory and that is the Lord.  We can not claim any glory as originating in ourselves.   The Lord does not share His glory.  But He does want us to reflect it.  It is our purpose here on earth to shine in this darkness and point others to Him.  But it is HIS glory and light that we are reflecting.

To take this illustration further, we all have a dark side!  Just like the moon, whatever is not facing the light can not reflect it.  I can not reflect His glory when I claim that glory for myself.  The dark side is the part of me that takes credit when it rightfully belongs to His work in me.

I do not want any cold or dark sides to me.  I want all of me to shine!  I want to give Him the glory for any and all accomplishments.  I want Him to have the credit for anything that is good in my life.  May I reflect His glory today!