Beginnings: Your New Performance

Arise, shine, for your light has come. The glory of the Lord has risen upon you.

Isaiah 60:1 (NASB)

Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.

Matthew 5:16 (NKJV)

For it is the God Who commanded light to shine out of darkness, Who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the Face of Jesus Christ.

2 Corinthians 4:6 (NKJV)

You're God’s tightrope walkers on a high wire– but in this era, the world’s gone wireless. So, better said, the wire’s invisible, which makes normal life MUCH more dangerous. 

Because when you can’t clearly distinguish the line separating good from evil… one missed step can precipitate a fall.

Modern celebrities fall frequently, and Satan makes their landings seem easy, EVEN FUN! A quick kiss, fun party, or little deal… lifts them back up. (Hot air is abundant.) 

Some stars seem to relish the attention… with no thought to the fans who follow them.

Performers for God: Consider 4 things:

  1. Working in media is like walking on water: it's gutsy and glorious. Recall Peter's faith to follow Jesus, why he fell in, and the One Who saved him.

  2. Jesus is your Lift and your Safety Net. A slip may bring a bruise, but it won’t last. Instead, you’ll learn to keep your eyes on Him, and, like Peter, you’ll become guiding stars.

  3. To win the roles where lost sheep can find you, you must be new and surprisingly good. To keep your Captain’s ongoing support, you must act new and surprisingly good.*

  4. To contain God's talent under church roofs is an above-ground, closed-off burial: the kind they did way back in Bible days. But the Earth quaked and the curtain was torn.

The Light of the World walked out of the tomb… into the world. You're called to do the same.

Beginnings: Your New Performance (Part 22)

* 'Let no one seek his own good, but that of his neighbor' (1 Corinthians 10:24).

* 'The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness,’ and 'self-control' (Galatians 5:22-23).

NOTE: God is my Ghostwriter. If what I write is good, it’s from God! We’re ALL called to be actors (action stars) for Jesus. We’re ALL called to models of Jesus, and we ALL have gifts, talents, and callings from God–  to multiply them in the world for His glory.

P.S. NO DEVOTION, PREACHER, or SERMON… can begin to replace personal time in the Bible. I wholeheartedly and clear-headedly recommend READING THE BIBLE DAILY.

WARNING: Don’t focus on favorite verses, because out of context, they’re often misinterpreted. I plead with you to READ AT LEAST 1 BIBLE CHAPTER DAILY. How long does it take? An average of 5 to 10 minutes!

Carey Arban