Let Your Light ShineSample

How Much Light Should We Shine

These words from Jesus seem fairly straightforward: an encouraging command to be bold in this world, to not hide from the fact that we have been saved by a God who loves us and calls us to do His work in a dark world. And yet, I’ve always found them rather tricky to wrap my head around. For, in the very next chapter, Jesus says this: ‘Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of people, to be seen by them. Otherwise, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven.’ 

How can we display our good works (Matthew 5), while not practicing our righteousness in front of others (Matthew 6)?

Much of it, I believe, is about motive. Why do we do what we do, and who are we doing it for? For example, if we take a day out with our church family to help mop up after a flood disaster, and we share photos on Instagram – are we doing it to show our friends on social media how ‘good’ we are, or are we doing it to display God’s people in action, making a difference in our local community?

The bottom line is that when our good works are seen, it must be God who receives all the glory. He has made us and saved us to do His work in a world that needs to know Him. Let your light shine so that more may give glory to our Father in heaven.

Written by SAM ROBINSON