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PRAYER FOR THE WEEK
Jesus, help me let my light shine! Amen.

"You are the salt of the earth. But if salt loses its flavor, it's no good," said Jesus. "You are the light of the world, and people don't hide lamps under baskets - they put them on tables to fill the whole house with light. Let your light shine like a lamp, so everyone can see God in you!"

What makes a TV show good? You might say, "vampires," "comedy" or (if you're a "Glee" fan) "good music." As your days get more and more packed with school, sports, lessons and homework, any TV show has to be really good to keep your attention.

What makes a Christian good? In this week's Gospel (Matthew 5:13-16), Jesus explains: hope and hard work.

No kid has hours to spend watching bad TV any more. You're too busy to be bored! You probably make time only for your favorites, whether they're shows with actors you like, "American Idol" auditions or Nick at Nite cartoons.

Even in Jesus' time, people didn't have time to waste on Christians who weren't convincing, either. People had work to do and families to raise; Christians who didn't act like Christians were not going to make them stop and think about getting closer to God.

Like the acting, humor and writing in a TV show has to shine to keep you interested, Jesus said that His followers had to shine. If you say you follow Jesus, you can't hide that, He said - you have to make an effort and show other people that God loves them!

TV shows where the actors don't seem to want to be there, the jokes aren't funny and you get bored watching every episode will quickly nose-dive in the ratings. In the same way, Jesus warned that Christians can't be shy. Share your talents and people will believe in you - and in God!

(02/03/11) [[In-content Ad]]

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