The Proclaimer

Let Your Light Shine

“Ye are the light of the world.  A city set on a hill cannot be hid.  Neither do men light a lamp, and put it under the bushel, but on the stand; and it shineth unto all that are in the house.  Even so let your light shine before men; that they may see your good works and glorify your Father who is in heaven” (Matthew 5:14-16).

Light is essential to life; without it all things die.  The source of life is God, hence, “God is light, and in him is no darkness at all” (1 John 1:5).  Christ, who is God, brought this divine light to earth and with it came life eternal.  “In him was life; and the life was the light of men.  And the light shineth in the darkness; and the darkness apprehended it not” (John 1:4, 5).  As disciples of Christ, we are to reflect this light in our lives by imitating and emulating the Lord Jesus Christ.  Let us consider the effect of light.

Light Purifies

There is a natural purifying effect of light as it kills those destructive forces that thrive in darkness.  It scatters darkness and turns it into light.  The apostle Paul says we are to “walk as children of light (for the fruit of the light is in all goodness and righteousness and truth), proving what is well-pleasing unto the Lord; and have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness but rather even reprove them” (Eph. 5:8-11).  The word translated “reprove” means literally “expose.”

As we live our lives walking in the light as He is in the light we not only maintain our own fellowship with God (1 John 1:7), but we have a profound effect on darkness.  Truth exposes error and light exposes that which is done under the cloak of darkness.  This is not a popular thing among those of the world.  For this reason the world hated Jesus and will hate us as well if our light shines. “The light is come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the light; for their works were evil.  For every one that knoweth evil hateth the light, and cometh not to the light, lest his works should be reproved (exposed)” (John 3:19, 20).

If we, as lights of the world, are to have this kind of purifying effect we must “walk even as He walked” (1 John 2:6).  If we have fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness we destroy our influence for good.  This means there must be a real difference in our behavior, our speech, and our attitude and disposition of life from those who are of the world.  It must be a difference obvious to all.  Paul says we are to be “children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom ye are seen as lights in the world, holding forth the word of life” (Phil. 2:15, 16).  Are you letting your light shine?

Light Gives Life

We not only have an effect upon the darkness of the world by letting our light shine through our godly behavior and conduct, we have a responsibility to share this life giving light with the world as we teach others about our Lord and His will for them.  Jesus said, “I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in the darkness, but shall have the light of life” (John 8:12).  He said further, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life, no one cometh unto the Father, but by me” (John 14:6).  The world in darkness will not see the Way or the Truth or the Light unless we reveal it to them.  They must be taught.

It is your responsibility and mine to teach all who will listen.  If we are not teaching others as we should, we are not letting our light shine.  Certainly a godly life is essential to the effectiveness of our teaching, for no one listens to a hypocrite.  And it may take a godly life displayed over a protracted period of time to soften the heart of one hardened by the darkness of sin, such as the woman who gains her unbelieving husband by her “chaste behavior couple with fear” (1 Peter 3:1, 2).  But a godly life alone will not give life to those in darkness.  Sooner or later they must be taught.  Are you letting your light shine?

Light Refreshes

I suspect we have all experienced the refreshment brought by light.  There is nothing more invigorating than the dawn of another day.  As the sun rises chasing the darkness away exposing the refreshing dew glistening through the dawn of a new day, we all feel revitalized and refreshed.  If we are to let our light shine we must be a source of spiritual exhilaration to one another.  One reason we are not to forsake the assembling of ourselves together is to provide such spiritual refreshment.  Many lose their faith because they fail to see the revitalizing benefits of meeting with God’s people for worship.

Paul found such refreshment from individual brethren who encouraged and exhorted him.  He spoke of Onesiphorus who “refreshed me” (2 Tim. 1:16), and looked forward to seeing Stephanas and Forunatus and Achaicus “for they refreshed my spirit and yours” (1 Cor. 16:17, 18).  And concerning Philemon he wrote, “For I had much joy and comfort in thy love, because the hearts of the saints have been refreshed through thee, brother” (Philemon 7).  Are the hearts of the saints refreshed through you?  Are you letting your light shine?

Being a Christian ought to be a source of great joy and rejoicing.  At the birth of Jesus the angel said to the shepherds, “Be not afraid; for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which shall be to all the people” (Luke 2:10).  Even the word “gospel” means “good news.”  Paul says, “Rejoice in the Lord always: again I will say, Rejoice” (Phil. 4:4).  If we are to let our light shine, we must obey this command.  And when we do we are not only a source of encouragement to one another as Christians, but we let all the world see what joy we have in Christ.

Jesus said, “Ye are the light of the world.”  Are you?                                

                                                                        -- Clark Dugger

The Proclaimer