Let Your Light Shine

“You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do men light a lamp, put it under the peck-measure, but on the lamp stand; 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

Last year in August, New York City was hit by that tremendous black out that affected most of the East Coast. My job had taken me outside of the city and I eventually got back in late at night; dropped off by co-workers in the middle of my neighborhood. As I worked my way through the streets, I was amazed at how dark the city was without the lights. The only contrast was the moonless night sky and the silhouettes of the buildings. You could not even see your hand in front of your face, it was that dark. If it were not for the light from passing cars or flashlights, I probably would not have found my building. When there were no lights around, the street disappeared. I had to wait for a car or flashlight to pass by to see where I was. As I passed one street, I saw a flashlight in the middle of the street surrounded by a bunch of people encircling the light. They were playing drums and celebrating the event. It was very primal, like being in the middle of a campfire. Even as I entered my building with the blackened halls, if it were not for a few candles, I would have not been able to reach my door. I had forgotten that without light…the world is completely black.

This is how much we need light. This is also how much we need the Light of God; and like a light in the darkness, the Light of God cuts through the spiritual darkness of the world and changes everything. Everyone can see it. Everyone can feel it. The Light of Jesus draws people. When people come to the Light from their darkness, they are in wonder. What is it and how can I get that? We so desperately need the Light of God in our lives to find our way; and not only does God give us His Light freely, He wants us to share that light with others. He wants us to shine with His light in a world of darkness. When we let our light shine, people gather and the Light of God makes everything clear.

God gives us His Light via His Holy Spirit. Jesus says He will give His Spirit to all who ask, but we need to let Jesus shine in our hearts first. We need to forgive those who have hurt us. We need to ask God to forgive us the wrong we have caused. We need to surrender to Jesus. When we receive the Spirit, He turns on the Light and the darkness in our hearts is blinded by the truth of God. When we allow the Light to permeate our soul, our hearts begin to heal of pain, sin and uncertainty. And with this Light comes the fruits of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. When we have the Light of God, the Spirit affects everything we do. Our works and deeds are filled with His Spirit and there’s no stopping it. It just has to bust out.

So, if the Light is so amazing…why does Jesus have to ask us to let it shine?
Well because there are times when we choose to hide the light. Sometimes we don’t want to feel bright. Sometimes, we don’t want the world to see this side of us. We hide our light because of other people; people who don’t have light. We don’t want to call attention to ourselves. We just want to blend in. And yes, I will say that people who are happy, people who have joy, people who do good and show love…yes they stick out like sore thumbs. Such are the people who walk and shine with the Light of Jesus. But if we don’t walk in the Light of God, then we become preoccupied with our life again and things become dimmer. Before you know it, we’ve fallen back into darkness again.

When we decide to let the Light of Christ shine, we also decide that we are tired of trying to struggle in darkness and fear. We need to go to the power source, Jesus. And no, you don’t have to have everything right in your life to be able to shine. Just letting Him in…brings in the Light.
And just knowing that He is working with you to make you whole will get the beams shining.
And when we walk in His light and let Him shine through us, we understand how amazing it is and wonder, “Why didn’t I do this sooner?”

We are free. We are beaming. And there is nothing that can contain it.
Go ahead. Turn it on. But get ready. It will be amazing.

Main Menu

Back to Articles