Walking With Christ

Matthew 5:14-16 (14)You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. (15)Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. (16)In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.(ESV)

This little light of mine, I’m going to let it shine! The light we have is not our own. It comes only from God Himself. Let the whole world see who you belong to and let them marvel at His glory. In the message Friday, I said that darkness will never overcome the light of morning that brings joy. This is that light that comes to bring joy. This light only comes when the Holy Spirit is upon us. This isn’t a task that we simply take upon ourselves; it’s an identity that we embrace with every fiber of our being. A single candle can light a large room. That same candle can be seen by the human eye, on a clear night, from as far as one and a half miles away. A city on a hill doesn’t strive to be seen – it simply is. It’s position and the lights within make the city visible to the entire surrounding area. Now, imagine a world in twilight, where shadows loom and the path ahead is unclear. This is the world without the light of Christ. But He has not left this world in darkness. He has ignited a flame within each of us, His followers, and calls us to reflect His radiance. We are called to stand out to become beacons of Christ’s transformative power. This world seems to celebrate the dimmest lights. That can tempt up to try to hide our light out of the fear of being different, the need for conformity, or simply complacency. Christ calls us to shine.

What does this look like in practice? It is found in the everyday moments—the kindness extended to a stranger, the integrity maintained when no one is watching, the love poured out in service. Each action is a ray of light cutting through the darkness, a testament to the hope we carry.

Don’t make the mistake of thinking that this is a call to flamboyant displays of piety. It isn’t that. The purpose of the lamp is not to draw attention to itself but rather to illuminate the house. Our deeds, the things we do or don’t do, are not done to add to our own accolades. Instead, what we do or don’t do is meant to show the goodness and glory of our Heavenly Father. Our light shines the brightest not when we shout the loudest but when we love the deepest, when we serve the humblest, and when we live authentically in the grace that each of us has received.

My challenge to each of you is to remember who’s light we carry with us as we step out into our communities, workplaces, or even when we stay in our own homes. Let His light be warm beacons in cold places, steadfast lighthouses in the middle of life’s storms, and gentle flames that bring comfort to the weary. Let us each live in such a way that those we encounter might not simply see us but might look beyond us to the source of our light and find the loving embrace of God.

In this, we find our highest calling and our greatest joy: to shine brightly and unashamedly for His glory. How can you let your light shine? How can we (on this thread and others, Galatians 6:2) be praying for you today?

May the Lord bless you and keep you, and may His light shine upon you, now and always.

Amen!