Intro:
One of our
challenges for 2014 is to learn and live all 50 commands
of Jesus. Jesus told us that following
his commandments is a way to love him and a way for his love and his joy to
fill our lives (John 15:9-12). In his
Great Commission, Jesus tells his followers to make disciples of all nations,
teaching them to obey everything he commanded us (Matthew 28:19-20). So each week in this year we are learning and
living one command of Jesus. Here is our
command for this week...
Week 11:
In
the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good
deeds and glorify your Father in heaven,” (Matthew 5:16)
Application:
Picture
a lighthouse shining brightly in the darkness.
The light comes as a joy and a comfort to ships sailing in the night. It provides direction, hope,
assurance, and aid for the sailors.
Without it, sailors could get lost or hurt.
Jesus
calls us to be lighthouses shining in the darkness. Our world can feel like a very dark place at
times. People do not always treat one
another very well. We do not have to
look far to find examples of impatience, manipulation, gossiping, jealousy,
lying, stealing, cheating, bullying, cruelty, and selfishness. It’s pretty easy to get lost and hurt in this
darkness.
Jesus calls us to shine the light of goodness into the darkness. When we act in our world and interact with
others, we are called to shine the light of love, joy, peace, patience,
kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. When people look at us, they should see
someone who is positive, helpful, encouraging, supportive, generous, honest,
compassionate, trustworthy, and hopeful.
The
goal is not for others to praise us, but for others to praise God. Jesus said to let our light shine so that
others “may see your good deeds and glorify your father in heaven.” Because the world can be so dark, the light
stands out. People notice it and are
drawn to it. People wonder where it is
coming from and where it leads. This is
an opportunity to tell others the source of our light: God.
After
all, the light does not originate with us.
We do not produce it. If we tried
to be all these things by our own effort and determination, we’d eventually
fail and fall short. Our light comes
from God’s light. Jesus said, “I am the
light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will
have the light of life,” (John 8:12). At
the beginning of John’s Gospel the author records this about Jesus: “In him was
life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the
darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it,” (John 1:4).
Our light comes from God's light. I
love the stories about Moses spending time with God. He would go up a mountain to spend time with
God, and when he came down his face was radiant (Exodus 34:35). That’s what happens when we spend time with
God. The more we allow God’s light to
shine in us, the more that light will shine from us. So the challenge here is not just to try
harder to shine, but rather to spend more time with God and let his light shine
through us.
Be
intentional this week about spending time with God. Allow God's light to shine in you through Scripture reading, prayer, worship, faith conversations, etc. Then, be intentional about shining his light
for others to see. What are some God
things you can say? What are some God
things you can do? Write down some good
deeds you can do at home, in your neighborhood, in your workplace, with
friends, with family, etc. And then let
your light shine!
Share your
comments and application ideas…
I love that verse! No matter what the situation is in which we find ourselves and no matter how much we are struggling for solutions, we can always do one thing (well two, I guess): Aside from pray, we can be a light. Show the love of Jesus in whatever the situation is, even if you can't seem to "fix" things.
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