Diamonds in the Rust

      "In the same way,  let your good deeds shine out for all to see,  so that everyone will praise your Heavenly Father." - Matthew 5:16

       When the light shines in a diamond, it usually shines up and out of the diamond. As people of God,  we should look up to God and let our light shine out to people.
        There are 4 things that we should look at for a good diamond. There are: the cut, the color, the clarity, and the carrot. They are 4 words that start with the letter "c".
        When the light shines out of us,  we should have 4 cs shining out of us. There are: character, caring, compassion, and costly. I will give you one or two verses to go with each word.
        Character
               -Philippians 2:14-15

                -"Do everything without grumbling or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, “children of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation.” Then you will shine among them like stars in the sky."       

        Caring
               - Matthew 10:42

                  -"And if you give even a cup of cold water to one of the least of my followers, you will surely be rewarded.”               

              -Matthew 25:40

                  -"And the King will say, ‘I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me!"

        Compassion
               - 1 John 3:18

                 -"Dear children, let’s not merely say that we love each other; let us show the truth by our actions."

               - Romans 12:9-10

                 -"Don’t just pretend to love others. Really love them. Hate what is wrong. Hold tightly to what is good. Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honoring each other."

        Costly
               - Matthew 10:37-39

                 -"If you love your father or mother more than you love me, you are not worthy of being mine; or if you love your son or daughter more than me, you are not worthy of being mine. If you refuse to take up your cross and follow me, you are not worthy of being mine. If you cling to your life, you will lose it; but if you give up your life for me, you will find it."     

       Being a diamond in the rust will cost us. My job costs me. It's not just moms. If we are passionate about our jobs or whatever it is that we are doing then  it should be costly. When we have a relationship with God, our lives should cost a lot.