You
are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do men
light a lamp, and put it under the peck-measure, but on the lampstand; and it
gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light shine before men in
such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is
in heaven." Matthew 5:14-16
This week we have been talking
about being the light that Jesus said we were to be to the world. People are watching us so we need to be aware
of our actions and the way we represent Jesus to them. He wants His light to shine through us to the
rest of the world. His light is:
A Needed Light
A Reflected Light
A Visible Light
A Revealing Light
A Beautiful Light and a God
Glorifying Light
In the verse above, the word used
for "good" is not "agathos", but "kalos", which translates into good
(Beautiful) works.
Actions and attitudes in life that
emanate from our new nature do not bring glory to man, but to God. These are
the "reflection" of Christ. When Moses spent time with God his face
"shone" so that others could see.
But he did not know it. So the
Christian may not realize that what he is doing is anything more than the
natural following of his Lord.
There is no room for showiness or
self-pride in the Christian as he reflects Christ. This is possible by
realizing that the works that are being performed are not of ourselves but of
Christ. When a man steals the glory of
the Christian life for his own glory, he destroys the real value of being light
for Christ. It matters not whether or not those about you accept or even see
you. It is Christ that must shine. It behooves the Christian to examine his life
to discern how much of his life is lived under the control of God for His
glory.
The cave once spoke to the sun and
said, "I have no idea what light looks like". The sun replied, "I have no idea what it
is like to be in the dark." So the
cave invited the sun in to experience darkness.
Once the sun entered it said, "There is no darkness in
here." The cave then replied,
"It is not dark when you are in here." How wonderful it would be if our lives were
like this to others as we become the "Dispellers of Darkness."
The Christian life is a life that
is both influential and purposeful when lived under the control of God. It is precious
to sing "This little light of mine,
I'm gonna let it shine", but it is powerful to live it.
Remember that Jesus said, "You
ARE the light of the world". We cannot stop the reflection of Christ on
our lives. We must shine for we ARE
light. We can do no less. We are the
light of the world and not the light of the church.
What is dimming your light? Impurity?
Compromise? Fear? Let the light of Christ dispel these elements
of darkness in your heart. He is the
source of our hope. We don’t have to
stumble around in the darkness, groping for the next step. We can trust Him and let His light dispel our
own darkness and we can be the light to the world.
Scripture to Claim:
That you may be blameless and innocent,
children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted
generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, holding fast to the
word of life, so that in the day of Christ I may be proud that I did not run in
vain or labor in vain. Philippians 2:15-16
