Fireworks

How many of you had the opportunity to view the Perseid meteor shower this morning?  I was out there looking well before sunrise, but alas, did not see anything.  Oh well, they are supposed to be visible early Saturday morning as well---maybe I can see them then.  I was hoping to catch a glimpse simply because this supposedly brilliant display of tiny bits of sand hurtling through space at 132,000 miles per hour is relative to what I want to study this morning.  Natural Fireworks.

Man-created fireworks and God's meteor showers are enjoyable for some to look at.  The sale of small fireworks has now been allowed by law in the state of Georgia.  Every 4th of July, millions of people take an hour or so out at dusk to watch the brilliant colors created by the burning of the different components of fireworks.  Every August, the Perseid meteor showers occur, the Lyrids put on a show in April and June and others create light shows throughout the year.  Millions of people watch them, some with telescopes, some with the naked eye.  What causes people to want to spend time watching this? The brilliance, the colors, the chance of seeing God's fireworks in the heavens.  The awe and wonder.  And I am sure many other reasons. 

The Perseid meteor showers, and several others', 'sparks' and streaks of light are caused by the burning of the exterior of these tiny grains of sand or other particles.  This exterior has a name---dross.  The material that actually burns due to the friction at such high speeds, is nothing more than waste particles.  A dictionary defines the word dross as scum, waste or impurity (okay, now you may start seeing where I am going).

The destructive burning of these impurities are what make up the brilliance of the meteor showers.  In the same manner, the impurities we possess in the form of sin, when destroyed, make us shine.  We are brilliant shards of light to others when our sin is demolished.  People gather around those whose sin is devastated as they boldly proclaim the word of God.  The removal of our dross, our impurities, can be brilliant to both ourselves, but more importantly, to others.  We can gather larger audiences, like a streaking comet, when our sin is burned off.   Christ, of course, was our first example of light.  He took our sins and streaked to hell for three days, burning it out of the face of God forever.  He lit up our way to heaven in a brilliant show of power.  For God, who said, "Let light shine out of darkness," made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ. (2nd Cor 4:6)  In this same we, we can let our light shine, but we have to do it by getting rid of our sin.

I challenge all today to just think about how much brilliant you will appear to non-Christians and Christians alike, if you simply shed the dross, the scum, the waste, the impurity, the sin, in your life.   Mahatma Ghandi once said, "I like your Christ, I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ."  That, coming from a man with such wisdom, is a hard thing to hear, especially when we believe we are being Christians (Christ-like).  The reason that quote is true is because our scum remains on us most of the time.  It was completely eradicated from Jesus after just three days-----we need to eradicate it in our daily lives, each day.  THEN, and only then, will we attract others to God.  Our light needs to shine, and people should not have to use telescopes to see it in us.  Today, confess your sins, repent from them, and then watch the crowds gather.

Mac