Shine Bright

“In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.” Matthew 5:16

It is not enough for Christ followers to just show our light; we need to see how far we can shine our light. In Matthew 5:14-15 Jesus said, “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.” As God’s children, we must shine our light brightly and hold our light highly.

I get it…you work with a lot of unbelievers. You work with people who have no time or heart for God, church, or anything else. You are thinking to yourself, “You don’t know what you are asking of me. I am in a dark, dark place.” Let me ask you two questions: First, where does light shine the best and the brightest? The answer is in the darkest places. Second, who needs the light the most? The people in deepest darkness need the light the most.

Don’t let darkness intimidate you. Light is never afraid of darkness; darkness is afraid of light. The darker your surroundings are the brighter your light can shine. Don’t be afraid. It’s not even your light that is shining anyway. It is really the light of Jesus. Think about this, what is the most important light in your house? Is it the chandelier in the foyer as you walk in through the front door or is it that little night-light that keeps you from breaking your neck in the middle of the night? You don’t have to be beautiful or brilliant to shine your light. All you need to do is surrender to the power of the Holy Spirit and let Jesus shine through you.

Notice Jesus did not say, “Make your light shine.” He said, “Let your light shine.” That little three-letter word, let, is so important in this passage. When Jesus comes to live in you, and you surrender to Him on a daily basis, you don’t have to force your light to shine. You don’t have to make your light shine. You just let Him shine through you.

The pronouns in this passage are plural. When Jesus was talking about “you” and “your light,” He was talking to all of us who will ever follow Him. He was speaking to His Church. A city is just a collection of houses. The only hope for the darkness of this world is the light of our witness. We can’t all be preachers or teachers, but we can all see the light within us, show the light before us, and shine the light beyond us. We need to take our light out from under the bowl we have been hiding it under and put it on a lampstand where everybody can see it.

Dear Lord, I'm sorry for all the times I have hidden my light from the view of others. I don't ever want to be so shy or ashamed that I don't share my faith when I have the chance. Moving forward, please grant me the courage to shine my light for all to see so that I might point others to you. In Jesus' name, amen.