Let Your Light Shine

“You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do men light a lamp and put it under a peck-measure, but on a lampstand; and it gives light to all who are in the house. 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.” Matthew 5:14-16

  Oh well, deer hunting season is over. If this were a text I would have several sad faced Emoji’s after that sentence. I enjoy hunting.  I enjoy sitting on the back side of the farm in total silence. I don’t have to worry about the phone ringing, someone knocking at the door, responding to e-mails or text messages. Quite often I will spend a lot of time in prayer; no I am not praying that a big buck will walk out, ok, well not always. It is a special time sitting in God’s creation, being alone with Him and spending uninterrupted time with Him. And there is the excitement of the hunt too. It is a win-win situation. I enjoy hunting in the afternoon. I will climb up into my stand and sit there until dark.  I always take a flashlight with me, but it isn’t for what you think. I really don’t need it to find my way from the stand back to my truck. You see, for years I have been plowing those fields, mowing the pastures and walking the fence lines. Over my lifetime I have ridden the paths on bicycles, motorcycles, three wheeler s, four wheeler s and side by sides. I have fished the ponds and played in the creek. I know where every rock, ditch, tree stump and bush is. It wouldn’t be too much of a stretch to say that I could get back home with my eyes closed. Here is the reason that I carry a flash light, I want other people to see me. I don’t want to be one of those tragedies that you hear about on the evening news where a hunter was shot when another hunter thought he was a deer. Nope, I want my light to shine brightly so that anyone around me can see it.

 That is in a roundabout way what Jesus is talking about in these verses. He wants our light to shine, so others can see Him through us. Once we are saved, we have accepted His light. Our job is to reflect that light so that other people can see it. It is our blessed responsibility to allow Christ to shine through us. I know what you are thinking. “Well Eddie, how do we do that?” Well thank you for asking. What does verse 16 say? It is done through our good works. Good works do not save us, but they are how other people are able to see Jesus through us.

 We live in a dark world that is full of despair. Let me encourage you to let your light shine, because even the smallest amount of light can be seen in total darkness.  Look for opportunities to share a kind word, do a good deed, and show the love of Christ to someone. It will make a big difference.