No Filter

 The phrase ' no filter' has been running about in my fevered brain today.  I have no idea why.  But Im assuming that as I sit down to write this something will emerge on the page. 😀

Usually when we hear the phrase ' no filter' it is in the negative context of someone who says exactly what they think without thought for the consequences.  People with no filter can be difficult to be around - they might lack the social skills which enable us all to rub along together without causing too much offence.  But as I was thinking about the phrase today I had the distinct impression that God was wanting to say that in Him, having no filter is a good thing.  

I Googled the word ' filter'.  

As well as the definitions you would expect  ( something to strain out impurities) there was this one

 a device or material for suppressing or minimizing waves or oscillations of certain frequencies (as of electricity, light, or sound)

so a filter an be something which can stop the full range of light from shining where its supposed to shine.   Interesting eh?

Jesus is the light of the world.  When we were 'walking in  darkness'  He came, heralded by triumphant glorious shining angels , to show us God and make a way for the very life of God to live in us.  Jesus told us that we are the light of the world.  He said we were to display our light clearly so that people can see it from far and near.   When Moses came down the mountain having spent time in the presence of God his face shone so brightly that he had to wear a veil so that people could actually look at him.  Moses didn't need sunglasses or a veil or any sort of filter when he was standing face to face with God - but the people couldn't even cope with the second hand presence of God which was resting upon Moses.  What if we were to shine so brightly with the glory of God that people around us literally had to fish out their sunglasses to be able to spend time with us? 😎

Given that. as far as I know, nobody has ever reached for their sun visor as I've approached, Im surmising that I have a fairly thick filter over my spirit.  If I believe that the spirit of God lives in my spirit and that God wants to make His presence known through me then I surely have the ability to shine like that light on a lampstand which Jesus was talking about.  So why don't I?  What is it that filters that light and often blocks it out altogether?

Well I guess we have to start with sin.  A BIG filter in our lives. All my selfishness, idleness, covetousness and greed, dishonesty, cruelty and carelessness and pride are like layers of grime over the glass on the lighthouse.  I need to be keeping short accounts with my sin and washing myself with the water of the word all the time.    Secondly I wonder if fear is a filter for many of us - fear of actually shining  - fear of what people will think - fear of the cost - fear of failing to shine in the right way.  And linked with fear I suspect another filter is believing the lies that the enemy tells us that we aren't good enough to be set on a lamp standard and that nobody would look at us even if we were.

I hope God might be speaking to you about your own filters as you are reading this.  They are doubtless different for all of us.  Our mission in this life is to decrease so that Jesus can increase.  We have probably all met the occasional person who shines with Jesus and displays something more of Him and His character and person than we do.  There is something super attractive about ' shiny' people.  Jesus must have been the shiniest of all 😇  He had no filters.  All of God in Jesus shone out of Him in compassion and kindness, truth and holiness, obedience and faith and righteousness.  In Him was life and that life was the light of all men.

Dear Lord remove from me all that would filter out Your glory and power and life in me so that I can be a shining light in the darkness of this world in these days. Amen