September 2015 Devotional Blog

Matthew 5:16 “Make your light shine, so others will see the good you do and will praise your Father in heaven.”

Growing up, I was always surrounded by impressive Christians. These persons had such great faith and sense of purpose and I wanted to be like them. I wanted to be able to preach with fervour, evangelise without shame and speak boldly for Christ. I felt disheartened and weak when, time after time, I failed to meet up to the great standard they had set. I wondered whether I was a fake, and if I truly believed in God and Christ.

I believe there are many persons who are worried about their place in the world. There are many who want to make a contribution but are concerned that their contribution will not be big enough or worthy of any recognition. There are three encouraging truths we must remember that are all summed up in Matthew 5:16

First, we each have a light. Jesus’ command starts with the implied affirmation that we all have a light to shine. He says to us, “Make your light shine”, and not “First go get a light, then make sure it shines”. Be encouraged by the fact that you do have a light to shine; you do have a contribution to make in this world.

Second, this light is uniquely ours. Each of us has a light that is uniquely our own. Jesus said, “Make YOUR light shine, so others will see the good YOU do”. The light is yours and the good that it will illuminate is yours. Your light may be big and bright and bold; it might twinkle and glow with a soft warmth. But it’s all your own, no one else’s, and if you nurture your own light, then it will light up the dark.

Third, ultimately, this light is to show others to God. It’s your light, but it’s so “others…will praise your Father in heaven”. It’s easy to get caught up in showing ourselves off, especially if we work hard on nurturing that light. It’s not easy to be a light in this dark, cold world. But never forget that the light you shine, the good you do, is so others can see God. They should see through you that God is a light who can show them the way in this world.

God has given each of us our own special light to brighten the world. Some are brighter while others twinkle; some are huge while others small; some are colourful while others are monochrome. Don’t be worried, just let YOUR light shine and God will be praised anyhow.