[Jesus said] “You are the light of the world. A city set
on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 mNor do people light a lamp and put it under a
basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. 16 In the same
way, let your light shine before others, so nthat2 they may see your good works
and ogive glory to your Father who is in heaven.” (Matthew 5:14-16 ESV).
In his book God Came Near, Max
Lucado tells a story about four candles that didn’t want to leave their storage
closet during a power outage. When the owner went to find them and light them
so that he could see in the dark, the candles began to talk. They did not want
to leave. One candle said he needed more preparation. Another one was too busy.
Another said he was not qualified. The last one said that giving light was not
his gift.
Of course that was just a story. Candles
don’t talk. But that story reflects some of our attitudes when it comes to
letting our light shine out to others, so that people see God working in our
lives and give him praise, as Jesus taught. We too have our excuses. Some of us
feel we need more training before we can tell others about Jesus. Some of us
look at our own lives and feel we don’t have the right to talk about the Lord
because of our own failures. Others of us simply concentrate on doing other
things.
The message of Jesus is very clear. We ARE
the light of the world, just as he is the light. We need to let go of our anxiety
that produces excuses and delays to simply let our light shine. God gives us
both opportunity and ability to shine. Hiding ourselves is not His plan. Determine
to let your light shine in the world God has placed you today!
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