Let your light shine
“You are the salt of the earth. You are the light of the world.” (Matthew 5:13a & 14a)
“This little Gospel light of mine. I’m gonna let it shine. Let it shine, all the time, let it shine.”
Perhaps you remember learning and exuberantly singing those words as a young child and even throughout your Christian life. That song is a favorite among then more than 1,500 participants in our Jesus Cares Ministries programs throughout the country.
What does it mean to “let your light shine?” What does it mean in our Bible verse for this week to be the “salt” and “light” of the world?
Think of it this way: When salt and light are present they are evident. You can certainly tell when there is too much salt on your food and when there is none at all. It is hard to see when the light in an area is very dim, but if there is a very bright light you are blinded and have a hard time seeing where you are going or what is happening.
How are you visible in the world? Are you barely salty or a light that is barely visible? Is your faith lived like an overpowering salty taste or like a blinding light that makes it hard for people to see what is going on?
Notice Jesus doesn’t say you by yourself need to be the salt to season the entire world or the light that covers the whole earth. If you look at the verse that concludes this section of Matthew 5, Jesus tells us, “In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.”
Sadly, there are some who sprinkle the salt of their faith or shine the light of their faith to emphasize how “good” they are; it’s all about them and what they do. Jesus’ words remind us we are not to be salt and light so people see us, but rather so they “glorify your Father in heaven.” Our goal in being salt and light is for people to see Jesus through our words and actions.
There is no denying that being salt and light in a God-pleasing way in our world in 2017 is a challenge, sometimes even the opposite of what everyone else is doing. Like the rest of God’s guidelines for living our faith, he never said it would be easy or popular. Jesus’ own life lived to his Father’s glory was not easy and he was certainly not popular all the time.
As we strive to be salt and light in this world, may we continue to remember and be guided by what Jesus himself told us: “In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.”