SHINING THE LIGHT
Welcome to Shining the Light!
“You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead, they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.” (Matthew 5:14-16)
Jesus came to teach us to how to live–with love, justice, and mercy. Shining the Light is all about living out our faith in a way that shows the world the goodness of God’s character and the love He has for us. In this spirit, we invite you to join the WWJD Challenge and become part of the Jesus movement that started over 2,000 years ago! Joining is easy: simply learn the Beatitudes and strive to apply them to your life. Through these actions, we can bring more kindness into the world and honor to God’s name.
Thank you for being part of our community, and for spreading joy!
OBEDIENCE
Understanding Obedience
Without sounding too preachy, we want to explain obedience and why it’s important. It’s often misunderstood that God is an angry God, and that we must obey Him to avoid punishment. Yes, God can punish us, but it is because He is just and fair, and there are consequences when we hurt someone. But God never punishes us in a way that destroys us. His way of punishment builds the character in us that He wants us to have.
Others might think that we obey God so He will reward us. We can be rewarded when we’re obedient, but God can also bless us when we’re far from Him. Obedience simply means loving God and striving to live according to His values – justice, mercy, humility, and loving others.
To obey God, we first need to love Him above all else, and then want the things He wants for us, and from us- to be kind, loving and merciful to others. Obedience is meant to draw us closer to God, for greater peace in our lives. Even when we don’t get it right, He is pleased because He sees into our hearts and knows that we are trying.
John 14:15 says, “If you [really] love Me, you will keep and obey My commandments.” Obedience is less about duty, and more about obeying God because we love Him and want to honor Him.
The Ten Commandments
- You shall have no other gods before Me.
- You shall not make for yourself any idol, as an object to worship. You shall not worship them, nor serve them.
- You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain: irreverently, in false affirmations or in ways that impugn the character of God.
- Remember the Sabbath (seventh) day to keep it holy; set apart and dedicated to God.
- Honor (respect, obey, care for) your father and your mother.
- You shall not commit murder; unjustified and deliberate homicide.
- You shall not commit adultery.
- You shall not steal; secretly, openly, fraudulently, or through carelessness.
- You shall not testify falsely, that is, lie, withhold, or manipulate the truth, against any person.
- You shall not covet, that is, selfishly desire and attempt to acquire, anything that belongs to your neighbor.
John 14:34
Jesus’s new commandment:
“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another
What Would Jesus Do?
WWJD
Imagine how life would be if Jesus was here with us now. If a stranger passed Him on the street, would He look away, or offer a smile and kind words? If He found someone hurting, would He turn away, or offer words of encouragement to uplift them? Would He jump to conclusions over hearsay, or would He want to understand the other side before making judgements? And would He then promote peace and reconciliation, or allow anger and division to continue? Life with Jesus would bring a kinder, gentler world, and as His followers, we can walk the same path and bring the same goodness by living according to His values.
THE CHALLENGE
Horse Whisper challenges you to be warriors of faith and follow in His footsteps by loving and caring for others. The blessed in God’s kingdom are those that make it their mission to bring more grace into the world. You are being called upon to continue on the path that Jesus started over 2,000 years ago.
GUIDING PRINCIPLES
OUR COMPASS
Live by His commandment in Matthew 22: 37-39 to love the “Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind,” and “Love your neighbor as yourself.”
We live unselfishly, always seeking the best or higher good for others. All others, not just the people that act like us, believe like us, or think like us.
We love like Jesus!
MATTHEW 5: 3-12
Jesus, as our guide, answered WWJD in His Sermon on the Mount. The blessings in the Beatitudes highlight the values and attitudes that best represent God’s Kingdom of Heaven. Jesus calls us to love God by being humble, gentle and faithful to His words.
THE BEATITUDES
- Poor is Spirit: recognizing our deep need for God and relying on His grace and provision for everything.
- Sorry for Our Sins: genuine sorrow for our sins, heartfelt repentance, and comforted by God’s mercy.
- Meek: having a quiet inner strength by trusting God and being at peace with His will.
- Hunger and Thirst for Righteousness: strong spiritual desire to live a life that reflects God’s character in all aspects of life.
- Merciful: having a heart that is open to giving and receiving mercy, to achieve a more compassionate and loving world.
- Pure in heart: striving to be sincere, free from deceit, and focused on God.
- Peacemakers: actively seeking harmony to reflect God’s character, and His desire for unity and peace among His children.
- Willing to be persecuted for God’s kingdom: committed to standing firm in our faith despite knowing we may face challenges.
WALKING IN HIS FOOTSTEPS
Following the ways of Jesus may sound unnatural in the world we currently live in, making us more vulnerable to being hurt or taken advantage of. That could happen yes, but our rewards come from God, not man! God cares for us, and He will take care of us when we are doing His work. To know the peace of God’s Kingdom, Jesus wants us to be humble, compassionate, and selfless – like He was. One of His last things He did before His death was an act of service for His disciples. After their last meal together – the Last Supper – Jesus kneeled before each of them and washed their feet. The washing of feet was usually done by the lowest servant: feet were dirty from dusty roads and the sandals people wore. But Jesus lowered Himself before His disciples to show the truest honor in God’s Kingdom comes from humbleness and serving others, not in being served.
Shining the Light
Matthew 5:16 (Amp)
Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good deeds and moral excellence, and [recognize and honor and] glorify your Father who is in heaven.
Faith warriors, you’re invited to join the WWJD challenge and shine your light before men. Walking in the ways of Jesus to show the world the beauty of God’s kingdom!
Below you will find values and Bible verses to guide and encourage you. And we want to hear your stories! The rest of the page is dedicated to celebrating your good works:
- Faith in Action: Send us stories and video links of faith in action; believers caring for and serving others.
- Shining Light: Send us your story of using the Beatitudes to bring about something positive for yourself or others around you.
- Random Acts of Kindness: Send us stories of random acts of kindness that inspire us to do more.
We are excited to hear how you do, and we look forward to sharing it to inspire others! Also, don’t forget to check out our WWJD Challenge activity on the Bible Plunge page. God loves you and we do too!
FAITH IN ACTION
This Month’s Featured Story
Larry Stewart: The Original Secret Santa
Excerpt from the Good News Network:
When Larry Stewart was growing up in his grandparents’ home in a small Mississippi town, he didn’t know they were impoverished. It wasn’t until he started school that he learned what he “lacked”—the bathrooms, telephones, hot water and gas stoves to be found in other kids’ homes.
As a young adult, Larry confronted poverty again. Living paycheck to paycheck, he became homeless when his employer went out of business owing Larry more than one check. So, Larry resorted to living in his car, covering himself in his laundry in an effort to stay warm and hoping to forget his hunger. By the time he’d gone two days without a regular meal, he was so desperate that he went to the Dixie Diner and ordered breakfast without knowing how he’d pay for it.
When he finished eating, he started looking around on the floor, pretending he’d lost his wallet. The cook even came out from behind the counter and helped him look.
Then, suddenly, the search was over.
“You must have dropped this,” the cook said. He was holding a twenty-dollar bill.
Larry was so grateful that he made a vow to himself: as soon as he was able, he’d do something for others like what the cook had done for him. Read More
Have a Faith-in-Action story for us?
We would love to hear it and consider it for a Featured Story! Use the button below to send it to us.
SHINING THE LIGHT
Using the Beatitudes to Shine the Light!
Coming Soon!
Have a success story to share?
We want to be inspired! Use the button below to send us your story.
Random Acts of Kindness
Shining the Light, one kind act at a time!
Coming Soon!
Have a story to share?
We want to be inspired! Use the button below to send us your story.