Newly Born-Again Christians are a joy to be around. They exhibit a spark of life and joy that just seems to radiate around them. Immediately after salvation I always ask them how they feel. Their responses range from peaceful, to clean, to good. I then immediately teach them that we are not saved because we feel that way but because of our faith in Jesus and one day they will not have the full feeling they have today.
Not too long after their salvation the day will come where the age-old question will permeate their minds, “Now what? I’m reading my Bible, going to church and Sunday School. I’m slowly growing as a disciple of Jesus, but is this it?” I will then take them to Matthew 5:16 AMP, “Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good deeds and moral excellence, and [recognize and honor and] glorify your Father who is in heaven and Ephesians 2:10 NIV, “For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”
There is a common theme in Scripture where we are to live out our relationship with God as we go through life. God instructed the Nation of Israel how they were to live in the Promised Land using The Law (word of God) to guide them. Part of that teaching was to instruct their children in God’s Word as they walk through life, Deuteronomy 6:7 NIV, “Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up” - as you are living out your Covenant Life, whatever that may look like.
I want to draw your attention to a couple of phrases, “your light” and “God’s Handiwork”. We are to let “our light” be seen and not someone else’s light. Jesus didn’t define what your light is because we are uniquely God’s handiwork. In Biblical Greek the word handiwork means something uniquely and expertly created by a master. When God created you He knew what deeds or works He was creating you for, so He made you just as He desired. There are no cookie cutter Christians even if we try. You were created perfect for God’s plans for you, not lacking anything. You’re just the way that God planned you.
Have you ever wished God had made you more courageous or outgoing thinking it would let your light shine brighter? Have you ever wondered why you think the way you do or see the world like you do or respond to events like you do or had the experiences like you did? If only God had made me different or allowed different experiences in my life then my light could shine brighter, but think, you wouldn’t be ready for the light God desires from you to shine at the time and the way He desires. God doesn’t model us after someone else other than Jesus.
There is a phrase that enters our Christian experience ever so often that sounds like, “We need to set our world on fire”. When we hear phrases like that we think of a blazing fire that is easily seen, growing stronger every day but Jesus was talking about a single flame. Not some grand and glorious work that most of us could not handle without getting prideful, but a simple kind gesture coming from our new heart while leaving the results to Jesus. It could be something as simple as giving someone a cold drink when they are weary or helping an elderly person with their groceries when it is raining or just smiling at someone and not knowing where that desire came from. There are times when God’s Holy Spirit will simply touch our heart and say “now”, and we see what He is looking at and then simply shine.
I had to purchase a 4 by 8 sheet of plywood the other day at Lowes. I swore I would never do this again but here I am. It was heavy and awkward, but I knew I could manhandle it into the truck with some effort. Just as I was positioning the sheet hoping to make loading it easier when the man parked beside me asked if he could help me load it. Only human pride would say, “No thank you”? God supplied some of His light to make my effort easier.
Some, God calls to be missionaries, evangelist, pastors or some other life changing position and He created them and will equip them for those positions. Jesus spoke these words to His disciples. They were going to be highly visible and widely recognized as leaders in the early church. But even to these highly visible and respected leaders Jesus instructed them to let their single flame of faith shine through the simple everyday things of life. The Gospel exploded because persecuted Believers spread out over the Roman Empire and took their flame with them and wherever they landed, they let that light shine so others might come to desire the salvation and love they had found in Jesus Christ.