HIDE IT UNDER A BUSHEL, NO!

 

HIDE IT UNDER A BUSHEL, NO!

Matt. 5:15-16 “Don’t hide your light under a basket! Instead, put it on a stand and let it shine for all. In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father.” NLT

It cannot be done. If there is light, it will shine and others will see it. By the very nature of its existence, light is seen. The issue is not whether or not it will be seen; it’s where it will be seen and by whom.

A light that shines only in one’s house only benefits those in the house. Outside of the influence of the light there is darkness. We, who are in Christ, are lights in the world. So, we must consider where we are letting our lights shine.

In order for light to be effective it has to shine in the darkness. We need to take our faith out of the church and into the world. We must shine in the workplace, in the coffee shops, in the businesses we frequent, in the places we go for entertainment, in the homes of our friends, and wherever we may go. A light that is turned off does no good at all. It is Christ who gives us light and if we are living in Him, we cannot turn Him off. If we are not letting our lights shine, we are in essence saying that we are ashamed of our Lord and being identified as one of His.

The same thing holds true for what we do. Our deeds reflect our faith. It should be obvious to all by the things we do that we belong to Christ. Our actions often speak a whole lot louder than our words. We should be seeking to honor and bring glory to the Lord in all we do in the world.

Our witness and our works reflect Christ in us. They do honor Christ amongst men. They inspire others to look to Christ who is the source of our lives. When we let our lights shine in the world, God is praised in heaven and on earth.