Shining Stars

Welcome to today's encouragement from Our Daily Bread.

I'm Sheridan Voisey and I've called today's reading Shining Stars. The first thing I noticed about the city was its gambling outlets. Next, it's cannabis shops, adult stores and giant billboards for opportunistic lawyers making money off others' mishaps.

While I had visited many shady cities before, this one seemed to reach a new low. My mood brightened, however, when I spoke to a taxi driver the next morning. I asked God every day to send me the people He wants me to help, He said.

Gambling addicts, prostitutes, people from broken homes tell me their problems in tears. I stop the car. I listen. I pray for them. This is my ministry. After describing Jesus' descent into our fallen world in Philippians 2, the Apostle Paul gives believers in Christ a calling. As we pursue God's will and hold to the Word of Life, the Gospel, we'll be children of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation who shine like stars in the sky. Like that taxi driver, where to bring Jesus' light into the darkness? A believer in Christ has only to live faithfully in order to change the world, historian Christopher Dawson said.

Because in that very act of living, there is contained all the mystery of divine life. Let's ask God's Spirit to empower us to live faithfully as Jesus' people, shining His light in the world's darkest places. Today's scripture reading is from Philippians chapter 2, verses 12 to 16. Let's pray together. Jesus, thank you for being the light of the world who brings us out of darkness. And what you are, you call us to imitate. So, Lord, we ask that by your Holy Spirit you would empower us today to shine like stars so we might bring your powerful, beautiful, pure light into the darkest corners of our own cities, communities and neighbourhoods. Lord, it's in your name we pray. Amen. Thanks for listening. I'm Sheridan Voisey and today's encouragement was provided by Our Daily Bread Ministries.