A City On A Hill?

I used to teach home-school art years ago. I gave the kids an assignment to paint a city on a hill from Matthew 5:14. The picture shown here was painted by my grandson James when he was about eight. When school was over for the summer, James did what any budding entrepreneur would do; he had a curb-side art sale. Of course, Grandma was the first to show up. I gladly bought three. This was my favorite one.

When Bill and I moved into our old farmhouse in the early 1970s, we were very inexperienced with home maintenance. One evening, we were sitting at the dinner table when all the lights suddenly dimmed to half-power. We had no idea what a brownout was.

A brownout occurs due to voltage drops in the electrical system, typically resulting from overloaded circuits or defective wiring.  We didn't know anything about electricity, but what we found in our old basement didn't take an electrician to figure out. We discovered all the electrical wires from a high-voltage box were being fed through a low-voltage box. Amazingly, we never had more brownouts or a fire. A new circuit break box was our first major expense.

How is your spiritual wiring these days?

Are you experiencing a spiritual brownout? I know what that's like. Throughout my journey with cancer, I've had many moments where I felt powerless, overstressed, and discouraged. I'm finding so many people in the same place for different reasons. It seems spiritual 'burnout' is in the air these days. So many are admitting to being stressed out and deeply discouraged. Often, I hear, "I pray and get no answers," and "church just isn't doing it for me anymore." This is serious.

A lot of things have changed in our country, as well as our churches, since the pandemic. But things have not changed with Jesus. He is the same yesterday, today, and forever. So, who has changed? Everything points back to our spiritual habits.

What Jesus said two thousand years ago hasn't been updated, altered, or modernized to match the whims of our current culture. He said the path is narrow, and believers must abide in Him, seek Him first, and remain separate from the world. Our difficulties arise when we try to combine the power of the flesh with the 'wiring' of Heaven. It can't be done.

Friendship with the world is enmity with God. Enmity means "positive, active, and typically mutual hatred or ill will." (I think I should add a Selah at the end of that statement).

Are we a shining city on a hill, or are we merely a burned-out flickering light? It's a sad scenario to think that we might be so mingled with the ways of the world that no one can tell we're Christians unless we inform them.

God wants to bring us back to our first love. He wants to revive His purpose for each of our lives. The only way we will be a bright city on a hill is to reevaluate our priorities. What is most important for this season? Where do we find our peace? What can we eliminate so we have time for personal study and prayer? Our primary focus is to grow in the knowledge of Him and learn to hear His voice. I'm learning to rid myself of unproductive thoughts and poor spiritual habits. How about you?

Psalm 34:5 says, "Those who look to Him are radiant..." The Hebrew language is very pictorial. The picture of being"radiant" is one where "streams of light are flowing from an object." This is how we overcome spiritual brownout.

Pray with me:

Lord, forgive me for not putting You first. Forgive me for being too busy to sit with You. I ask for Your mercy. I ask that You renew my strength, teach me to wait upon You, and correct any poor spiritual habits. I want to be a City on a Hill whose light cannot be hidden.

Please give me the grace and the power to change my ways. Help me to seek You first every day.

In Jesus name, Amen.

Note: You are welcome to comment. or write me. I will always do my best to answer. God bless.

stevens.marji@gmail.com