Let Your Light Shine

In Matthew, Jesus says to "let your light shine before men." What does that mean? To me, it means to live our lives in relationship with God and not be ashamed of it. People will notice there is something different about us - something better than what they see elsewhere - and it becomes a beacon for them to find God. We become like a lighthouse showing the way to safe harbor.

But when I see people who I admire for how their light shines and I ask how they do it, the almost universal answer is that they don't think they have a light, or it doesn't shine very much. I wonder if we can't ever see our own light. Like when we carry a flashlight, others can see the source of the light better than we can. That doesn't negate the fact that we "are the light of the world." Not 'should be', not 'could be', not 'can be if we work hard enough' and not 'will be if we see the results of our efforts.' We ARE the light of the world because of Jesus. We are the only Jesus many people will see and all we have to do is have a close relationship with Jesus and live with courage and integrity. After all, it's not about us - it's about pointing people to God and "connecting people's God dots." (from yesterday's sermon by Glenn Teal). See his blog at fullydevoted.com.