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[a] they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven. (Matthew 5:14-16 ESV)
I remember as a child singing “This little light of mine, I’m gonna let it shine…”, that song and a few others stuck in my mind and has stayed with me over the years. It, and our scripture today, gives us guidance regarding what we are to do with the light of Christ that exist in our lives. It is not meant to be hidden, but to shine before others.
This is not so that others see us, no. It is so that they may see our good works and that we give glory to our Father for all these things. The world wants us to shine for ourselves, but it is to God the Father that all the glory goes. We were not meant to be the recipient of the praise. All goes to God.
The world will want to diminish or put out our light as does the enemy. These conspire against us to twist what we do for God in ways to make others think we do them for ourselves. Even in our striving to show love to others and act with God’s compassion people will be dubious of our intentions. This is why we must be clear in voicing exactly why and for whom we act. When people can not see this clearly we should voice it clearly.
The self will want to get in the way and take the accolades. But we are not here to bolster ourselves but to put forth Christ in all we do. This is not always easy and it can seem contrived. But when we practice speaking to others about our motivation in Christ then continue to live it they will begin to see that we are not self seeking.
What can you do to let Christ light shine today?
