"This Little Light of Mine, I’m Going To Let It Shine!" Matthew 5:14-16

Matthew 5:14-16 You are the light of the world. A city 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 men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.

Can you imagine living at the North Pole where it is dark from the beginning of autumn until the end of winter? It would be so depressing and dreary. During the wintertime, I find it very difficult to get motivated to do much of anything because of the darkness. However, when I look up in the sky on a clear night, I think that the stars are absolutely beautiful. Even just a little light in the vast array of darkness is wonderful and glorious.
As a kid I loved seeing spotlights in the sky. I wanted my Dad or Mom to drive to find the source of the light. They were so cool! Jesus tells his disciples and those within the multitude listening that they were the light in the world. They were the stars or the spotlights in the skies that leads the world to Him.
Jesus's Challenge: ...let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.
John 1:3-5, 9 and John 8:12 tells us that Jesus is the light and he came to give light to all of us who are living in darkness. To give light to darkness that did not understand or even recognize the light. Jesus's challenge is to not hide the light. We must put the light on a lamp stand and not hide it under a basket in every aspect of our lives.
I have found times in my life that it was easier to hide my light than to “let it shine”. Whether it was because of friends, business associates or even people I did not even like, it was easier to appear like the darkness. Our call is to not drive with the headlights off but instead to stand out as a Christian in all the things that we do.
Today try to remember all of our church family especially those in our class in your prayers. Pray that each of us have enough oil and enough willingness and longing to “let our little light shine” to anybody and everybody who will see it.
Additional Study: Philippians 2:15, 16; Psalms 119:113a