Light is Made for Shining

Matthew 5:14-16
"You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill can not be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your Father who is in heaven."

There are many beautiful, limestone, underground caves in Missouri. When my children were small, we took a tour to the Meramac Caves. There we saw ancient limestone formations in rooms large enough to accommodate a nice crowd. The guide did a great job showing us the various levels in the cave and the formations reminiscent of a ballroom, a stage, etc. We heard of the 19th century bandit, named Jesse James, and how he and his gang escaped police after robbing a railroad by hiding in the caves.


Then the guide did something that stuck with me after many years. She showed us how dark, darkness can really be. We had been traveling on electrically lit footpaths and she had an assistant turn them off. It was so dark that you, literally, could not see your hand in front of your own face. You could not even see the people beside you; though by now we were uncomfortable enough to want to be assured that the guide hadn't walked off and left us down there alone. After what seemed like hours, though in fact, was only a few short minutes, the guide lit a match. That tiny speck of light was enough to dispel pitch black darkness. That little light overcame all absence of light and all was right in our world again.

Let's look at that concept of light. In the Old Testament we see that one of the first divine acts in creating the universe was to create light. God said, "Let there be", and it was. Yet Psalm 21:1 declares that "the Lord is my light." He who created light is the source of it, for He, Himself is light. Jesus tells us in John 8:12 that He is "the light of the world" and just like the moon reflects the light of the sun, we are told in Matthew 5 that "You are the light of the world." Disciples are to bear His light. We are to reflect the nature of our Saviour. We are to reveal the good news of the saving power of Jesus Christ and warn those in jeopardy of losing their soul as light reveals dangers that lurk in darkness.

Yet the sad thing is this: John 3:19 tells us that "this is the condemnation, that light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil." Jesus came into the world to save the world and yet He was rejected and despised, even hung on an old, rugged cross because of the wickednesss of mankind. The good news, however, is that He rose again and overcame the darkness of death, hell and the grave. Yes, praise the Lord, light dispels and penetrates darkness.

Jesus is the light of the world and we, as believers, cannot afford to be obscure. Light was made for shining. Let your light shine! Somebody around you is walking in the darkness of sin and despair. They need you to reveal that there is another way to live-a life of hope and love and goodness. A life fueled by the Spirit of God. When we live this life before our neighbors, family, friends and even enemies they see our good work and God gets the glory.

One of my favorite childhood songs is "This Little Light of Mine". In this simple song, a profound truth is declared and the writer says, "This little light of mine, I'm gonna let it shine. All in my home, I'm going to let it shine. All in my church, I'm gonna let it shine. Jesus gave it to me, I'm gonna let it shine... Let it shine, let it shine. Let it shine."


What about you? You are the light of the world. Let it shine. Let it shine. Let it shine.