If we pay close attention to Jesus’ words about the religious teachers and the Pharisees, found in Matthew 24, you come away with a sense that religious people prioritize practice of people. Loyalty to the letter of the law or rule over Love for the people the Law was intended to help.
The challenge with most “religious” people as Christ describes in the text of Matthew 24 is that they are not people who reflect and then project the Love of God. Those who prize the life of the Beloved people of God learn to live with Grace as the lens through which others are viewed.
Grace is not an excuse to live reckless and messy lives, it is an invitation to rise to a standard that is higher than a rule. Grace calls the person to reflect the Love of God demonstrated in the life, ministry and sacrifice of Jesus Christ and magnified in the work of the Holy Spirit. By being a reflection of the Love of God, a disciple of Jesus Christ can then learn to project that same Love into the world through their service to others on behalf of the Kingdom objective of growing.
Jesus instructs us
“Let your light so shine that others may see your good works and glorify your Father who is in Heaven.“ (“Matthew 5:16)
The light is not native to us, but it is the light of Love and Life that shines on us. We are called to be mirrors of Jesus Christ reflecting His light and projecting His light into the world. The end game is to show the world the Glory of God that shines on us who believe and that is therefore available to others who might believe.
Find your place in the work of the Kingdom through daily reflecting the light of Christ through your attitude and treatment of others. Project your light by inviting people into your life as friends that they to might meet the source of your light. Just as someone might admire your nails or hair and ask who did your nails, cut, or styled your hair, we ought to offer something of our character that people admire that prompts them to ask, how did you learn this? Then we can say “The Holy Spirit does my life.”