Go Light Your World!
Here’s a little trivia question for you. From what distance can you see candlelight?
Okay, so maybe you have not wondered about this before. Maybe Rob has too much time on his hands. However, an MIT study discovered that the average person can see a candlelight from 1.6 miles away. See, Rob is not the only one with too much time on his hands.
Shining a Light
In Matthew 5:14-16, Jesus told His followers, “14 You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.”
What an amazing metaphor for spreading the Gospel message. You are a light that shines before others. Through the transformation that Jesus is making in your life and the incredible works you are performing to glorify God, others are having the light of Jesus shine on them.
They are also having the darkness removed. After all, this is the ultimate purpose of the candlelight – to eliminate the darkness.
The interesting thing about a candle is that its area of impact is not very big. While 1.6 miles may seem like a long distance, it really isn’t. The candlelight illuminates a very small, localized area. This should be our focus – for our lights to shine among those closest to us.
Lighting Your World
In Mark 5:1-20, the story is told of a man who was healed of demonic spirits by Jesus. After being healed, this man wanted to travel with Jesus, but the Lord refused to allow him to do so. Instead, He told the man, “Go home to your friends and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you (Mark 5:19).”
Would it have been an amazing testimony to the power of Jesus if this man would have traveled with the disciples as they went from village to village? Yes, it likely would have been, but not nearly as dramatic as his testimony would be among his friends, neighbors, and family.
You see, the further he traveled away from his city, the likelihood is that fewer people would have known that this man was possessed by demons. The “light” would have become dimmer the further away from the source – his hometown. In Gerasenes, this man’s story would have been an incredible miracle because everyone knew him. His light would have shine brightly, and God truly would have been glorified.
The call of Jesus is to reach the world and make disciples of all nations (Matthew 28:19-20). There is no doubt about that. However, that does not mean that you need to travel to make this kind of difference. You can impact your world by shining your light among your friends and family so that they can see the incredible way that God has changed your life.
A Mother’s Candle Shining Brightly
This was the message during devotion this past week at Hope CDA. The song we led our devotion with was “Go Light Your World” by Chris Rice. You can listen to the song below:
We witnessed this incredible story with the arrival of Dusty Strand to the Life Transformation Program. You see, Dusty has struggled with alcohol addiction for many years. However, now he is on a pathway of transformation. That came because of his mother, Sara, who shined her light upon her son.
Sara is a volunteer at Hope CDA, assisting with the meals on Tuesday nights. She has prayed and shown her love for her son every day, trusting in God to do an amazing miracle. A miracle that would glorify Him. Last Tuesday, that miracle occurred when Dusty began our program.
Sara could have taken her love for God and her resources and gone on mission trips to shine her light across the globe. However, she followed the advice of Jesus, shining her light before her son. Now, Dusty is on an incredible pathway that will not only benefit him and his mom, but also his children and all others who have known our brother.
There is no doubt that God wants you to reach all those who are lost no matter where they may live. However, consider that your greatest impact, the ones you will be able to shine your light on the most are the ones who are closest to you.
This is why candlelight is a perfect metaphor. Its 1.6 mile illuminating impact is limited. However, the impact on all those who are within that distance is incredible. That candlelight removes darkness from everyone who lives within that radius. So, take your candle and light your world.
Hope Good News
Kaleb Duerre reached one year of sobriety this past week. What an amazing mark for our brother, and we know that he will be celebrating many additional years of sobriety… The graduation for Kaleb will be on April 20, 2026, at 6:00 p.m. at the Mission of Hope. Please come and celebrate our brother’s accomplishment.
It’s Spring…The Perfect Time to Make Your Car Divine
Ok, it is a couple of weeks until spring. However, the weather is getting warmer, making it the perfect time to have your car detailed. Divine Shine is offering a special: get a total detail for $150 or an exterior detail for $75. This is a great time to remove that winter salt and grime from both inside and outside your vehicle. If you are interested, call (319) 929-3084 to make an appointment. We are ready to get your car looking divine!
Volunteer Opportunities
We are looking for volunteers who would like to help our men on their employment and vocational journey. Mike Carson has volunteered to join our group in assisting our men, but we need others to help with job searches, resume building, job interviewing, and vocational planning. If you are interested, please contact our Volunteer Coordinator, Tahsha Jones (Tahsha.Jones@HopeCDAcr.org).
Prayers for the Week
We ask you to join in prayer for these things:
- We pray for all those looking to join our Prayer Team. We know Satan hates these spiritual warriors, so we pray for God’s protection over these men and women as they fight the fiery arrows of the enemy.
- We pray for the newest participants of our program – Tyler Carpenter, Dusty Strand, Darren Daugherty, and John Houlsworth. May they say “Fall, Goliath, Fall” to the schemes of Satan and find peace in Jesus.
- We pray for our graduates. We pray that they continue to draw closer to Jesus and focus themselves on the things that have made them successful in their sobriety.
- We pray for Cedar Rapids. May all those who love Jesus shine their lights among men and women, removing the darkness that Satan brings.
Tuesday Night of Encouragement
This Tuesday, Hope CDA graduate Kyle Hunter will come and share his testimony. Kyle has an amazing story, a story where Hope CDA has played a big part. Come and join us to hear this inspiring testimony. Please join us at 5:30 p.m. for dinner and at 6:00 p.m. for Kyle’s talk.
The following Tuesday, March 17, Steve Jenkins returns to give a dramatic presentation of the story of the Philippian jailer told in Acts 16:25-34. Steve has provided this presentation the last few years and it is always amazing.
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