Letting Your Light Shine
“You are the light of the world. A
city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither
do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl.
Instead they put it on the stand, and it gives light to everyone in the
house. In the same way, let your
light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your
Father in heaven.” Matthew:
Remember the little song we used to sing, “This little light of mine, I’m
gonna let it shine”. We would
raise our index finger and proudly declare our resolve to live for Christ.
When I was in college, I had the privilege of leading a children’s choir
that would go around singing to groups. I
don’t know how good we were, but we were definitely loud.
You had no trouble hearing this group.
One of the songs we sang was “This little light of mine”.
And when we did, we could take the roof off!
Here I am, some twenty-eight years later, wondering if I have that same desire to let my life shine for Christ. Sometimes I don’t think my light shines very bright at all.
Jesus challenges us in the “sermon on the mount” to be the example to the world of how a Christian should live. He uses words like “salt” and “light” when describing the Christian.
What does the world think of us when it looks at our lives? Are we as “different” as we’re supposed to be? Too often, I think, the world sees very little difference in us. As one student told me one day sitting in my office, speaking of Christians he said, “They’re no different than me”. He drew this conclusion by watching the Christian kids, not at church, but at parties on Friday and Saturday nights.
Let us be reminded that it is not at church that the world passes judgement on our lives. It is out in the world where conclusions are made about what’s really important to us. Sermons and Sunday school lessons are great, but Jesus expects the gospel to be presented though our everyday lives. About the religious people of his day, Jesus said, “Do what they say, but do not do what they do”.
I think about that a lot. As a speaker, a lot of words come out of my mouth and they’re usually very positive and good. They’re also very easy to say. Would Jesus say of my actions, “But do not do what he does”?
Clearly, we are to present the light of Christ in our lives for the entire world to see. That is our witness—that is our call.
May the light of Christ become so radiant in our lives; it cannot help but shine through. May God give us the assurance that He is with us—and what He gives, the world desperately needs. With Christ in our lives, we have something to show, for His light in us takes away the darkness of the world. Thanks be to God!