Let It Shine, Let It Shine

"You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. 15Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. 16In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven." Matthew 5:14-16

You are the light of the world. Did you know that Jesus said that to his followers? It wasn't the other way around. Jesus, the real and true light of the world, told his disciples, and all the multitude who had followed him that they were the light of the world. What a fine compliment!

And then he went further with it, and told them to go ahead and let that light shine amongst those who don't believe. He encouraged all those people to share that light with the lost. That's really cool to think of.

Think of this. Think of a black space, completely dark, you can't see past the end of your nose, it's that dark. There are hundreds of people in this dark room. And all the sudden, a light shows up above one person's head. It's not a super bright light, but because the room is so dark, the light is visible from everywhere. And then suddenly, another light pops up on the other side of the room. Then another, and another, and before you know it there are about a dozen of these lights in this space. There's enough light that really, everyone can see a little bit, yet those who don't have their own light find themselves trying to get as close to those with the light as they can. They want to be able to see too, so they do everything they can to get close to someone with the light, to see what they can do to get their own little light.

Isn't our world the exact same way? It's a world full of darkness, but one by one, if we can find the boldness to let our own light shine, people will be drawn to it. They will want to know what it is that makes us shine. They will be curious and want to know if it's something that they can grab hold of themselves. And for many of them, it's something that they didn't even know that they wanted. But if we sit in the dark, one thing is certain, everyone will be in the dark. Unless we let that light shine, there will be no help in the darkest places.

So take heart, and take courage. Take the empowerment that Jesus gave when he said "YOU are the light of the world." Be that light, and draw others to Him. It is through your example that the light will spread all throughout the world.

"I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness." John 12:46

Jesus came into this world as A light. And then he told us that we are the lights. The very same Spirit that dwelled in Jesus and gave him the courage he needed to do the miracles and the teachings he did is the very same Spirit that dwells in me. Wow. That's pretty cool.