Let It Shine
Let It Shine
This little light of mine, I’m gonna let it shine,
This little light of mine, I’m gonna
let it shine, let it shine, let it shine, let it shine …
The familiar little children’s chorus has a solid biblical foundation. While He was in the world, the Lord Jesus was the light of the world. Now He’s passed that designation along to you and me. “You are the light of the world,” He tells us. “A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men” (Matthew 5:14-16).
Quite a responsibility, wouldn’t you say?
When God describes His awesome holiness, the analogy again is light. “God is light,” John affirms, “in him there is no darkness at all” (1 John 1:5).
When I think of God in that context, I imagine Him as a God who “lives in unapproachable light” (1 Timothy 6:16). Imagine pressing your open eyes against a gigantic searchlight. Who could peer into such a light without going blind?
Yet the Bible goes on to say we are to be holy as He is holy. We are to walk in the light as He is in the light. Somehow, something of the brilliance of God’s character is to be displayed through the lives of His sons and daughters on earth.
What kind of light are you?
Me, I’m no searchlight, let alone a supernova. Yet God expects me to shine, shine, shine.
Thankfully, light can be one hundred percent light and still have different intensities. Some Christians I know are like candles: they glow with a warmth that draws people to them. Then again, you have the flashlight sort of believers who seem to be able to look right through you. Christians with the gift of teaching remind me of reliable, steady light bulbs—dispelling darkness, showing things for what they truly are. Then there are the lasertypes, cutting right through the tomfoolery and getting things done. Searchlight people have a way of leading others out of darkness and guiding and directing them back to safety.
Regrettably, some believers display an inconsistent light. Like matches, they “get on fire for the Lord,” but quickly burn out. Others are like skyrockets—a brilliant flash that leaves stunned observers staring … but still in the dark.
The bottom line is that God wants us to be His lights in the world. The best lights we can be. With Him as the power source, we’re to shine in whatever capacity we can. It may be a bright radiance, a warm glow, a piercing reflection, or a steady beam. Different individuals with diverse personalities, strengths, and weaknesses will display His light with varying intensities. But it’s genuine light, all the same, and this darkened world can never have too much.
Let it shine!