4 “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.” Matthew 5:14-16 (NIV)
How often do we allow difficult circumstances or hurts and offenses to dim our light, the “candle,” ignited in us when we asked Jesus to forgive our sins and to be the Lord and Savior of our lives? Jesus said in Matthew 5:14, “You are the light of the world” and then he continued with a command in 5:16, “let your light shine before others.” We are to reflect the light of Jesus in our daily lives. In John 8:12, (NIV), we read “When Jesus spoke again to the people, He said, ‘I am the Light of the World. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness but have the light of life.’”
Years ago, I was deeply hurt by some people in church. As a result, I found that my light was growing dimmer and in danger of flickering out. I no longer felt joy—I was sad and miserable and didn’t even know if I wanted to continue believing in Jesus. I felt my solution was to give up on Christianity, put my light “under a bowl,” so I could just tell them off and feel better. And then, the Holy Spirit pointed out what I really needed to do was to forgive them unless I wanted bitterness to take root in my life. I decided to forgive. Joy returned—my light began to once again grow brighter.
As believers, we are called to live in a distinctly different way so that those who do not know Jesus can see Him in us. We are to reflect the love of Jesus and let our light shine to a hopeless, dying, and hurting world. But too often, we become trapped in unforgiveness or trying to figure out our own solutions to worries and problems instead of trusting God. Our light begins to grow dimmer and weaker and cannot shine brightly so others can see it. We forget that God has the solution to our situation if only we trust Him.
How can we let our light shine before others? BillyGrahamShine Through the power of the Holy Spirit, we can do good deeds. We have the “Light of World”, Jesus, who can shine through us into this dark world of hurting people. We can offer hope and encouragement to those who are suffering and desperate. Where there is hatred, we can offer love, kindness, and compassion. When met by impatience, we can offer patience. We can pray for/with others. And most importantly, we can offer Jesus and His plan of salvation and eternal life to those, who are lost and dying.
Letting “our light shine” is not an option or suggestion but a command! It lets others see our “good deeds and glorify your [our] Father in heaven.“
~Juanita Adamson 8/24
Thanks for your wise words, Juanita!