In an earlier post, I mentioned Bob Briner as one of the writers who was instrumental in influencing my thinking about involving myself in community leadership. Over the next few days, I want to share some of his thoughts with you...

More and more we need Christians skilled enough to “serve before kings.” Our society desperately needs Christian influences at the highest levels of modern life, including the area of business and corporate life. The “kings” of business and commerce deserve contact with people who operate from a Biblical world view. And they deserve Christian view of the marketplace modeled for them.
Influence in high places is influence with a wider reach. It has more impact on more people. And only those with skill can reach this level of influence.
If we see business leadership in a geographic sense, we see it as a place where the Christian and Biblical way of thinking is severely under-represented. We are more willing and successful in training, nurturing and supporting missionaries to go into China, India and Africa than we are in sending comparably trained and supported women and men into areas of business leadership.
We do a very poor job of challenging committed Christians to see leadership as a ministry and as a mission field. This has been and continues to be a tragedy both for our society and for God’s Kingdom. Because of a lack of Christian leadership in our communities, we have seen so much of the best of our heritage leached out of our everyday lives. Moral relativism, a bottom line mentality and a lack of social responsibility characterize too much of today’s business attitudes and practices.

Tim again... and it's mostly because we have opted out of taking the opportunity to simply be what Jesus said we already are. In Matt. 5, He said we are the SALT of the earth and the LIGHT of the world. Think about that for a moment... the same Person who said "Let their be light..." and there was and it was good ALSO said... "You are the LIGHT of the world." In the same way as the literal light scattered the literal darkness in Genesis 1, Jesus said of you and I (with the same authority but for a much greater purpose) YOU ARE THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD. What's most amazing about this is the way He said it. It wasn't "let there be" but "YOU ARE".

The amazing thing about light is that it doesn't have to try to be light, it just is. It has the properties and nature of light because of what it is... In the same way, you and I are made to be the light of the world. We are what we are because of who we are in Christ. No need to try, "put it on" or even work at it. Spiritual light flows out of relationship and intimacy. As we are plugged into the source, light flows from us and that light brings illumination, freedom and clarity.

Let your light shine!!

Tim