Matthew 5:14-16 Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.
When I lived in Florida many years ago, I was the maintenance man for a twelve-story building of plush condos on a private island. One day I noticed that the marble floors by the elevator in the foyer needed some attention. So, I researched and found out what materials would be best to use on them to bring out the greatest shine. I spent a day working tirelessly to make that floor brilliant. After I finished, I was very pleased with the product.
I stationed myself near the elevator to see if people would notice the great improvement in the brilliant shine of the floor. No one said anything to me. I finally realized why no one had noticed the improvement. The lighting in the foyer area was not very bright, making it easy to not notice just how shiny and clean the floor had become. I thought about what I could do to make this improvement more noticeable. The fix was very easy. I found some higher-wattage bulbs and strategically replaced them in the lights that shone down on the foyer area in front of the elevators.
I then stationed myself again in front of the elevator. This time was different. Many people coming out of the elevator immediately noticed the difference in the shine and commented to me on what a great job I did on the floor and just how clean and shiny it looked. The funny thing is that it had been clean and shiny since the day I worked on it, but it was only now noticeable because of the brightness of the lights I placed above it.
This is also true of the Christian life. Jesus said that we are the light of the world. As Christians, we can either be the best advertisement for Christianity or we can be the worst. We can shed light on how wonderful it is to know Jesus, or we can send a dark message that says that Jesus makes no difference. There are two things I want us to understand about being a light:
The light shines as we live right. The luminescence of our lives is not determined necessarily by what we say about Jesus Christ. Far too often, what we say is drowned out by how we live. The greatest light we can give this world is a life that is lived right, or as Jesus put it, by the works that we do. If Jesus Christ were judged by the light that shines as a result of the way that you live, what would your neighbors, relatives, friends, and associates think of Him?
The light shows why we live right. As people see us endeavoring and successfully living a godly life, it will bring honor and glory to the Lord. People will readily notice that the difference in you is the Lord Jesus Christ. We are Christ’s representatives on this earth. As such, we should see ourselves as a light that is to shine on everything that is good about our Lord.
If you are saved, then you are a light. There is no getting around that. When you received Christ, that is what you signed up for. The question then becomes, “What kind of light will I be?” Will we be a dingy light that makes it impossible to see Jesus Christ, or will we be a light that shines brilliantly and shows this world exactly what Jesus can do in a life that is surrendered to Him?
