Jesus
said, “Men do not light a candle and put it under a bushel” (Matt. 5:15). Then
He said, “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” (Matt. 5:16). He tells us
four things:
1. WHAT to do—“Let
your light shine” Letting your light shine is something we choose to do. Jesus is the light of the
world (John 8:12), so shining the light means to share the message of salvation
through Jesus Christ to people living in darkness. You can’t shine your light
until you first lighten up.
2. WHERE to
shine the light—“before men” That means to shine the light wherever you
go. Some people say, “My faith is a private thing. It’s just between me and
God.” But Jesus never said faith is a private thing. Neither did Paul or Peter. So who said, “Faith is a private thing”? Satan said it. He wants you
to hide it under a bushel so that no one can see it.
3. HOW to
shine the light —“in such a way that they may see your good works” There is a right way
and a wrong way, and “in such a way” means to do it the right way. The way we
communicate the gospel to others can make a difference in whether they accept
it or reject it.
A woman
was trying to give medicine to her dog. Every day she tried to force a tablespoon of
medicine into the dog’s mouth but the dog would always resist and pull away. One
day she knocked over the bottle of medicine and it spilled all over the floor.
The dog went over to the puddle and lapped it up! The dog wasn’t resisting the
medicine but was resisting the method its owner used—trying to force it
down its throat.
Don’t try to force the gospel down people’s throats.
Communicate it in such a way that people will be drawn to God. More flies are
caught with honey than vinegar. God loves them and can change their lives, so share
it with joy.
4. WHY to
shine the light—so they “will glorify your Father in heaven.” When people respond to
the message and receive Christ, they end up glorifying God. But if we
communicate the message in the wrong way, they may turn away from God.
The
weirdest Christian I’ve ever met had a long white beard, wore an unusual looking
hat and a coat covered with Jesus buttons. He peddled a bicycle that looked like a small car with signs all over it
saying, “Turn or Burn” and “Jesus is Coming Soon.” He would ride it down the
street, honk his horn and beat a drum, trying to get everyone to read his
signs. Instead of people glorifying God, they thought he was crazy. I’m sure
they were thinking, “If I become a Christian, I will have dress up like that, ride a bicycle with signs and beat a drum.” Of course, that’s not true, but that was the message
he was sending.
Make a decision to shine your light today--and be sure to do it in the right way. www.kentcrockett.blogspot.com www.makinglifecount.net
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