Matthew 5:14-16 – “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden; 15 nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house.  16 “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.”

What kind of lights are we?  Jesus said that each believer’s purpose and objective is to be not just “a light” but “the light” of the world.  We are that which illuminates the darkness in men’s hearts. 

We are the visible tools the Holy Spirit uses to bring an awareness of God’s person, presence, power, love, mercy, and grace to a world stooped in depravity.  He calls us “cities set on a hill” and identifies that the Light we Shine is always visible to others.  We are not lamps that are lit and then hidden, but we are placed on the lampstands of life for everyone to view openly.

He calls us to “let our light shine before me in such a way that they see….and glorify your Father….”   We are Lights, and that is not the discussion.  What kind of Lights are we? 

• What is the message received by those observing our lives? 
• What do they see from the light that we shine? 

Someone once said, “Our lives are the only Bible some people ever read, so what is the Gospel according to you?”  I must include this truth in that statement and say, “If our lives are Light to the world, what do they see when our light touches them?”  Does the light shining from our lives cause them to recognize God and glorify Him, or does it cause them to be repulsed by our claim of relationship with God?

I engage people from many different walks of life, and no matter what the discussion is, I seek to “speak the truth in love” and be a “light” of God’s love.  I do that with everyone I talk to.  We may disagree completely, but I want them to go away with a sense that I do not reject them as people.  I want them to recognize Christ in me as I contend for the faith, truth, right, and principle. 

Some cannot separate the two, and when there is disagreement, they reject both the message and the messenger.  Yet, as a Christian, it is my duty and privilege to be a Light pointing to God.

May God be with you as you go through your day!