6 For it is the God who commanded light to shine out of darkness, who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.
7 But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us.
You hear quite a bit about "light" during the Christmas season, and rightly so - we enjoy the Christmas lights, perhaps take part in a candlelight service, and think about Jesus, who came as the light of the world. He has dispatched us to be the light of the world, according to the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5 - He calls us to be salt and light. So, during this Christmas season, we can be reminded to follow and to radiate the light of Christ.
It's Day 12 of 25: A Christmas Advent-ure, and it's the end of the second set of six items dealing with worshipping Jesus for His personality. He is described as the "light of the world." There's a verse in John chapter 8, and I want to set it up. There was a group of men who were about to stone a women who had committed adultery. After writing on the ground, Jesus said to them, in verse 7, "He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first." He then wrote again, and one-by-one the
accusers went away. We pick up in verse 10:
10 When Jesus had raised Himself up and saw no one but the woman, He said to her, "Woman, where are those accusers of yours? Has no one condemned you?"
11 She said, "No one, Lord." And Jesus said to her, "Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more."
12 Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, "I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life."
Jared Plesec was a Bible study leader for the Salvation Army in Cleveland, OH and was preparing to go to collect money in the iconic Red Kettle campaign when tragedy struck. According to a story on the Faithwire website, Jared, who was 21, was "found shot in the head on Saturday morning in the lobby of his apartment complex, with police alleging that a 27-year-old man named William Jones is responsible, WKYC-TV reported.
The Faithwire story stated:
The article quotes Major Daniel Alverio of the Salvation Army. Faithwire says that he "told WJC-TV that Plesec was never afraid of the neighborhoods he would preach in. Alverio said that Plesec lived to 'teach people who God was' and to 'love and care for people.'" Alverio is quoted as saying:
About Jared, Amante Crawley told Fox8: "He basically is the one that brought me to church. He showed me the light and everything that the Lord could do to me, how he could work through me. Anybody who did him wrong he just loved. He loved everyone. That's why I can't understand why someone would do this to him. He was a loving person..."
What a great example for all of us - Jared Plesec, 21 years of age, determined to share the light of the gospel of Christ. There are three words that come to mind:
First of all, determination. I don't know the circumstances under which Jared was sharing scripture with the man who allegedly took his life, but we can conclude it was an individual who may have posed a danger to him. God may call us to go to uncomfortable or even dangerous situations in order to share our faith, and He can create in us a determination to do His will.
We also get a sense of Jared's compassion. It was apparent that he was devoted to sharing his faith, and as we develop a real, Christlike love for people, it can create within us a willingness to follow Christ in sharing that love.
Finally, people loved Jared Plesec. He had developed a reputation. We can seek to build that type of reputation that is so strong that people will be drawn to Christ through our actions and it will enable us to stand, even when there is opposition and outright attacks against us.
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It's Day 12 of 25: A Christmas Advent-ure, and it's the end of the second set of six items dealing with worshipping Jesus for His personality. He is described as the "light of the world." There's a verse in John chapter 8, and I want to set it up. There was a group of men who were about to stone a women who had committed adultery. After writing on the ground, Jesus said to them, in verse 7, "He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first." He then wrote again, and one-by-one the
accusers went away. We pick up in verse 10:
10 When Jesus had raised Himself up and saw no one but the woman, He said to her, "Woman, where are those accusers of yours? Has no one condemned you?"
11 She said, "No one, Lord." And Jesus said to her, "Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more."
12 Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, "I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life."
Jared Plesec was a Bible study leader for the Salvation Army in Cleveland, OH and was preparing to go to collect money in the iconic Red Kettle campaign when tragedy struck. According to a story on the Faithwire website, Jared, who was 21, was "found shot in the head on Saturday morning in the lobby of his apartment complex, with police alleging that a 27-year-old man named William Jones is responsible, WKYC-TV reported.
The Faithwire story stated:
Witnesses also said that Plesec was sharing scripture with the accused when he was killed.
Described as kind, loving and compassionate, Plesec spent his time mentoring local kids and had aspirations of saving money for a car so that he could help bring people to church. The Salvation Army confirmed the tragic death in an email to WKYC on Sunday.
“Jared was an employee (youth worker) and church member of The Salvation Army Temple Corps Community Center in Collinwood. Jared died as he lived, sharing God’s love,” the statement read. “Jared passed away in full Salvation Army uniform with his Bible in hand leaving home on his day off to volunteer at The Salvation Army’s Red Kettle.”A potential motive has not been established, the story said.
The article quotes Major Daniel Alverio of the Salvation Army. Faithwire says that he "told WJC-TV that Plesec was never afraid of the neighborhoods he would preach in. Alverio said that Plesec lived to 'teach people who God was' and to 'love and care for people.'" Alverio is quoted as saying:
“I would talk to Jared often and he would say that he was not afraid. I would say ‘Jared, be careful in the streets.’ He said, ‘I’m not afraid. I know where I’m going’ and for him he would tell you to die is gain,” Alverio said. “Like he had no problem with the idea of being persecuted for the gospel.”It does seem that Jared was in the wrong place at the wrong time. He may or may not have lost his life because of the gospel, but appeared to be in a dangerous position, yet shared the gospel. The alleged murderer, according to information from WKYC used in the Faithwire story, allegedly "went on a carjacking spree after the shooting."
About Jared, Amante Crawley told Fox8: "He basically is the one that brought me to church. He showed me the light and everything that the Lord could do to me, how he could work through me. Anybody who did him wrong he just loved. He loved everyone. That's why I can't understand why someone would do this to him. He was a loving person..."
What a great example for all of us - Jared Plesec, 21 years of age, determined to share the light of the gospel of Christ. There are three words that come to mind:
First of all, determination. I don't know the circumstances under which Jared was sharing scripture with the man who allegedly took his life, but we can conclude it was an individual who may have posed a danger to him. God may call us to go to uncomfortable or even dangerous situations in order to share our faith, and He can create in us a determination to do His will.
We also get a sense of Jared's compassion. It was apparent that he was devoted to sharing his faith, and as we develop a real, Christlike love for people, it can create within us a willingness to follow Christ in sharing that love.
Finally, people loved Jared Plesec. He had developed a reputation. We can seek to build that type of reputation that is so strong that people will be drawn to Christ through our actions and it will enable us to stand, even when there is opposition and outright attacks against us.
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