Shining Lights

 

“You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. 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. 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

Have you ever found yourself in a crowd surrounded by people who very likely would not welcome someone with strong Christian beliefs? Maybe it was a Christmas party or summer picnic of the place where you work. Perhaps it was a family gathering where you were the only Christian among those present. It might even have been at a rock concert, or the symphony performance, or a lecture series. Whatever the circumstances, the people around you did not exhibit the behaviors that you would normally identify as honoring to Jesus.

In such a time and place, what did you do? Did you join in the fun by putting aside your core beliefs and go along to get along? If someone said something snarky about Jesus or Christians, did you smile and nod approvingly? As the people became more inebriated, did you join them in their alcohol-fueled antics? Or, in a kind and gentle way, did you quietly take a stand for your faith?

You see, it’s not necessary to act like a pompous or arrogant person, taking every opportunity to criticize those who do not believe as we do by condemning their behavior. While there may be times we will have to take a strong, even aggressive, stand for righteousness, most of the time the gentle, patient witness has a much more powerful effect. We do not need to say things that make others think we think we are better than they are because we’re not. After all, we believers are all sinners —sinners saved by God’s grace.

But, in that quiet and gentle way, we do need to let the light of the Lord Jesus Christ shine through us and touch the lives of those around us. Such a stand requires us to live holy lives, as enabled by the Holy Spirit. It also requires us to exhibit the kind of God-breathed love that is so evident in Jesus’ life on this earth.

Jesus said it this way, as recorded in Matthew 5:14-16:

“You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. 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. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.”

As followers of Jesus, we become His shining lights in a sin-darkened world. We shed His light across the pathway of everyone who comes into contact with us. We illuminate the path of righteousness, holiness, and love.

Let’s determine this day to shine our light brightly without ever hiding it under a bushel. That would please God very much, indeed.

 

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