I wouldn’t necessarily call myself a morning person, but I do love watching the sun come up. It doesn’t matter if it’s watching the sunrise through the pine trees on a camping trip, watching it crest over the African savannah or seeing the dawn of a new day at the end of a long night of work, there’s something special about sitting quietly and watching the sunlight break through the darkness, little by little, until that first beam of light streaks over the horizon. The colors can be amazing. It’s the birth of a new day.
In His Sermon on the Mount, Jesus made it absolutely clear that He wants His followers to radiate His love to those around them. He used light as an example of how we are to spread His love – “You are the light of the world” (Matthew 5:14 NIV). Even the tiniest little filament in a lightbulb, when charged with electrical energy, naturally radiates light and dispels darkness – it has no choice. The very nature of light is such that it must pierce the darkness around it.
Jesus goes on the say, “let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.” Just like the sun cannot be stopped from breaking through the darkness at sunrise, true Christians should, by their very nature, radiate something of the work of God in their lives to the people around them. We are the light of the world; we must, therefore, radiate that light and dispel darkness.
What if you would prefer to say, “But Jesus, I’m just not feeling it today. I just don’t have the energy.” Jesus anticipated that some believers might choose to limit their candlepower, to refuse to shine their lights — and He forbade it. “Let your light shine!” He commanded. He did not, and He does not now, leave believers the option of letting their worlds remain in undisturbed blackness.
Jesus made it obvious that He wants us to spread His influence to every corner of this dark, fallen world. It is not enough that we simply take our lights out of hiding, He wants us to put them on a lampstand where everyone can see them! God wants the light of His love to be held high so it can permeate every bit of darkness. You are light. Let your light shine, shine bright today for all to see.
PRAYER – Heavenly Father, You are all powerful. You can do everything without my assistance, yet You have chosen to allow me to be a lighthouse, shining brightly full of Your love for all to see. Some days, I joyfully take on that task. Some days, I would rather hide my light so its intensity is dulled. Help me to shine brighter when…
Blessings,
Pastor Vic