“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 (NIV)
Jesus tells us that we are the light of the world. Our lives should be a reflection of Christ that shines a light to those around us. As kids, we often shoved our stuff under the bed or in the closet so our room would look clean and we would not be in trouble. As adults, we often shove our stuff into the attic or in the garage to make everything look clean. But that does not accomplish the task of actually cleaning the room and our collection of stuff seems to multiply all on its own, sometimes to the point that we rent a storage unit to house the clutter.
It is easy to go on about our lives and pretend that everything is o.k. We can sweep everything under the bed, but we know it is still there. The guilt follows us and the fear that mom will find out makes us a little uneasy. As Christians, too many of us go to church on Sunday and pretend that everything is o.k., knowing that our lives are a mess. We are a spark of light for an hour, then that light goes back under the bowl for the rest of the week, occasionally peeking out to shine just enough so we don’t stumble in the darkness.
Sometimes we do this because of guilt and sorrow. We don’t want anyone to see what our lives really look like. Sometimes we do this because of fear and embarrassment. We are afraid that those around us will make fun of us or have nothing to do with us if we stand up for Biblical principles and allow our lives to proclaim Jesus. We don’t want to be the weird kid and we desperately want to fit in. Jesus tells us that we are the light of the world, and that light is meant to be seen. Not just for an hour on Sunday morning, but every day of the week. That light is not supposed to be hidden and it is not there just to keep us from falling. We are the light of the world, meant to light everything around us, not so that people can see how great we are and glorify us, but so they can glorify our Father in heaven.
Maybe you are in a place in your life where all you have left is a tiny spark, or maybe your light has gone out completely. I hope that you know that Jesus is the answer to whatever you are going through. I know that sounds a little cliché, but it is the truth. I hope you can find someone who is that light of Christ, a spark to help you get your light glowing again. I hope that this study can be just the tiny spark you need to get started or a little fan to get your fire going.
Our lives are to be a reflection of Christ. We are to live our lives so that we glorify God. When our lives look no different than those who do not know Jesus, who are we glorifying? Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness and we will glorify our Father in heaven.
