Have You Ever …?
Brother Rudy. 3/5/26
Matthew 5:14-16 – 14” You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. 15Nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lamp stand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. 16Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works and glorify your Father who is in heaven.”
Hallelujah! Thank You, Jesus! Heavenly Father, Holy Spirit, speak through me. May I glorify You in all I say and do.
Have you ever … OK, so I remember sometimes when I was a kid, my aunt would come over and bring my cousins, and her and my mom’s friends would come and bring all their kids. And they’d order us pizza, and all the kids would stay the night as all the adults went out and partied and did whatever it is adults do. Well, in the middle of the night, we’d have these huge pillow fights. However, these weren’t your normal pillow fights. Have you ever stood in a room at night, turned the lights off and everything goes pitch black? Yeah … it’s going down.
So, we’d be in the living room, couch cushions, pillows, blankets, pizza boxes everywhere, couches and chairs turned upside down … because the more dangerous it is, the more fun you have, right? We’d unplug everything, and then everybody would pick their weapon of choice – pillow, cushion, or, of course, my favorite: couch cushion in a sheet. You can get some range with that thing! So, then we’d play rock, paper, scissors to see who gets to cut the light off – ‘cuz you already know whoever cuts the light off is gonna get it the worst. Then the lights would go off, and its straight Royal Rumble Free-for-all. Darkness and chaos, and, man, it was a blast until it wasn’t – like when somebody got hurt … or, knowing you’ve been up all night, and mamma comes in screaming and yelling. “Get up right now, and clean up this house, or I’m whipping everybody’s hind end.”
Well, gentlemen, this reminds me a lot of how my life was before Jesus Christ came in and saved me. I’m sure a lot of you can relate to the darkness and chaos. You see, when I was strung out on dope, I couldn’t see any light. I was unplugged. In fact, I was gambling with my own life and getting the worst of it because I was always the one turning off the light. You see where I’m going with this. At first it started off feeling good, having a blast. Until it wasn’t … and I hurt not only myself but my family, my loved ones, my friends. Not to mention the mess I’d have to clean up as I cried and tried to put myself back together.
I was broken, and I was lost. But you know He will leave the 99 to find one. I am that one, and you are that one. I was walking blind in the dark, and it got scary fast. I’d stay up for days and sometimes weeks at a time. I started seeing demons and sometimes even talking to them. I started praying for help, but I didn’t feel like God was listening. I didn’t even think He could hear a sinner like me. That is … until I cried out to Jesus.
It’s not a coincidence that most of (if not all) Jesus’ disciples went to or ended up in prison at some point in time. Even a good bit of the New Testament was written in prison. I’m not saying they did anything to deserve to be there, just that the world uses prison as a punishment – but not Jesus. He sees it as a field ready to be harvested. Amen! Now, I’m not going to be the one to say Jesus put me in prison, but I can say He allowed the decisions I made to put me in a place where he could begin putting me back together. It was here I found freedom. It was here I began to heal. It was here Jesus Christ saved my life.
You know … it’s crazy how all us kids could destroy the whole house in one night, and it’s crazy how that one night when I stuck a needle in my arm destroyed my life. I lost everything. So tell me, if I gain the whole world but lose my soul, what do I gain? Nothing! But if I lose everything and yet gain my soul, what do I gain? Everything!
You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lamp stand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works and glorify your Father who is in Heaven! Amen!