LET YOUR LIGHT SO SHINE

Matthew 5:16 (KJV) – “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.”

Our focus in the above verse will be on the word ‘so.’ As a bonafide child of God, it is not enough for one’s light to shine. The light of a genuine child of God should shine with extra illumination. The keyword is extra. When you consider the natural world, you realize that not all lights glow with the same intensity. The sun is always brighter than the moon. Jesus understood this moon-sun illustration when He said these words because He created the world (Colossians 1:16, Hebrews 1:8-10, John 1:1-3 & 14).

First and foremost, who was Jesus addressing when He was saying these words?

Matthew 5:1-2 (KJV) – “¹ And seeing the multitudes, He went up into a mountain: and when He was set, his disciples came unto Him: ² And He opened His mouth, and taught them, saying.”

From Chapter 5 (the Sermon on the Mount), we can see that Jesus was addressing His disciples as He was trying to get away from the multitude. His disciples came unto Him, but the public followed. In other words, Jesus was addressing His followers.

The Sermon on the Mount is for converted people. Jesus commanded his followers to let their light “so shine.” He understood that there are other lights (because there is usually something good about everyone), but Jesus meant the light of those following Him should shine brighter than the other lights.

Matthew 5:16 is not compelling us to get into competition with others so that our light can shine brighter than theirs. It means that you need to use maximum effort to do the best you can ever do, not depending upon your effort but depending upon God. When you do this, God is honored.

As a result, He who is omnipotent will bring His divine power in conjunction with your human effort. When infinite strength collaborates with our human weakness, inability converts into ability, and that which was once delicate becomes firm. Therefore, we change from being incapacitated to being capacitated. Countless miracles happen when we depend on the one without a beginning or an end.

Let us look at an example of what happens when human effort combines with divine power, Luke 1:36-37 (KJV) – “³⁶Now indeed, Elizabeth your relative has also conceived a son in her old age; and this is now the sixth month for her who was called barren. ³⁷For with God nothing will be impossible.” Through the power of God, Elizabeth’s condition of barrenness, which once seemed permanent (because she reached old age without a child), was changed.

God expects us to portray a character that is exceeding in righteousness. He was the initiator of excellence (Genesis 1:31 – Then God saw everything that He had made, and indeed it was very good). Because God created us in His image (Genesis 1:27), He expects us to be excellent in glorifying Him.

Under God’s instruction, Moses turned his rod into a snake, and the magicians did the same thing, but Moses’ serpent ate all the others. Remember that there are other lights, but God expects yours to be exceedingly bright. Divine power made Moses’ light shine before Pharaoh and his magicians. The Egyptians used their powers to turn their rods into snakes to show Moses that they could do the same thing that he had done. However, Moses’ snake ate all the other snakes because Moses had the backing of the Almighty.

God expects us to do more than is required, especially if the gift of salvation has been acquired. Through His grace, we can move with the zeal of diehards. God expects us to follow His standard, which is extremely high that no other standard is higher. When we do this, we shall be of a righteous influence to our brethren, and since records are meant to be broken, they will seek to surpass the standards that we’ve set, and the whole world shall be blessed.

Therefore, let us seek to show love to our fellow men in the best possible way. Let us seek to forgive more than we usually do. Let us seek to spend more time with God on other days of the week, not just on Sabbath. Let us seek to show a degree of patience that has never been shown, a degree of joy that has never been experienced. In short, the fruit of the Holy Spirit should be seen in us more than in unbelievers because we live in a world where some unbelievers are more morally upright than regular church-going Christians.

One day when talking to my friend Steve, I told him that I’ve done everything that God has asked me to do. Steve responded and told me, “You can still do more.” As a Christian, as long as you are alive, you can still do more.

Matthew 5:38-48 gives some Biblical illustrations of how one’s light can shine before men with extra illumination.

Finally,

Matthew 5:20 – “For I say unto you, that except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven.”

“While the law is holy, the Jews could not attain righteousness by their own efforts to keep the law. The disciples of Christ must obtain righteousness of a different character from that of the Pharisees, if they would enter the kingdom of heaven. God offered them, in His Son, the perfect righteousness of the law. If they would open their hearts fully to receive Christ, then the very life of God, His love, would dwell in them, transforming them into His own likeness; and thus through God’s free gift they would possess the righteousness which the law requires. But the Pharisees rejected Christ; “being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness” (Romans 10:3), they would not submit themselves unto the righteousness of God.” – Thoughts from the Mount of Blessing, Page 54.2, Ellen G. White.

Let us practice (by God’s help) righteousness that exceeds. If we do that, our efforts shall succeed. For nothing can go wrong when we keenly take heed of God’s Word. For the power of God shall subdue all greed and all selfish needs. We cannot do that on our own, because in sinful nature we are born. We can only do that through total submission to God. He is the source. Let us fully depend on Him.

GOD BLESS YOU!

Prayer

Dear God, please help me to will and to do Your good pleasure. Help me to obey You at all costs. Use me Lord and make my light shine so bright that through my life, people will glorify You. In Jesus name, Amen.

Activity

Reflect on this message and write down the lessons that you have learnt.

What is God telling you to do that you have not yet done? Write it down and ask God to give you the power to do it.

If you have done what God has told you to, prayerfully find out what more you can do.

Share this message with someone.

Author: Mark Alex   

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