“You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.ˮ (Matthew 5:14–16)
ATTRACTS. As we let our light shine, we do so in order to attract others to Christ and a relationship with God the Father. Ultimately, Jesus says that we must live out the norms of the Christian life (humility, peacemaking, and so forth) so that people around us will see the better way, be attracted to our Savior, and become fellow worshipers (v.16).
We must live lives that are attractive. We must work hard at learning to speak in an encouraging way. We must work hard at our relationships with our kids and spouses. We must work hard at making peace between people. We must work hard at humbly building others up rather than drawing attention to ourselves. We must work hard at living in hope rather than despair. All the while, we pray for the Spirit to bless us with enablement. And we pray for such so that others would be attracted to the Gospel because of our lives.
Letting your light shine in a practical way may be as simple as a smile. It could be revealing your joy to neighbors by playing outside with your kids. It could be praising your wife in public. I have a friend who came to Christ because his colleague displayed such a joy in his work. In other words, we must ask the Spirit for ability to let our light shine in an attractive way to others. In other words, letting our light shine is not a way to gain favor with God; it is a service of love to those who are perishing. We must strive to let our light shine so that those in danger of wandering off into the abyss will be rescued.
Prayer
Ask the Lord to reveal to you the hope you have that enables you to be joyful in the midst of distress. Ask him enable you to live it out before others as a witness to the gospel.
For opportunities to serve, please visit https://www.2pc.org/covid-19-ministry-partner-needs/.