Matthew 5:16 (KJV) – “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.”
WE ARE CALLED TO BE THE LIGHT
Light is the natural agent that stimulates sight and makes things visible.
As believers, we are the ones who can shine the light and love of Jesus to the lost through the Gospel of Jesus Christ. How can we make it visible? Through our everyday lives. We should be an example of Jesus Christ everywhere we go. I know we have mentors, pastors, and people we admire, but Jesus is who we should seek to become more and more like. How can we be an example in our everyday lives? Through our attitude (are we mean to others?), conversations (are we using dirty language?), body language (do we roll our eyes to the teacher?), apparel (are we exposing our body for others to see us?), and even class assignments (are we paying attention and completing our work?). 1 Peter 2:21 (KJV) says, “For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps:” When we seek to become like Jesus, we cannot go wrong in being the best examples and light we are to the world.
As a light for Jesus, we must realize that light and darkness cannot mix. When we have accepted Jesus into our hearts, we are no longer a part of the world. We are in the world, but not of it. How can we expect to win our friends if we participate in the same wrongs they are doing? How can we say we are Christian, but we never mention Jesus in our conversations? How can we be the light when our DMs are filled with explicit language, photos, and other darkness? Whether we want to believe it or not, people are watching us. They watch how we interact with others, our conversations, apparel, grades, etc.
It is not that we should care about the opinions of men, but we are influencing people every day. How is our influence on our peers and those around us? Are they drawn more to Christ when they are around us? When they go on our social media, are they encouraged by the Word of God, or are they just seeing worldly behaviour and derogatory memes? As lights for Jesus, our social media should reflect the God we claim to serve. If Jesus were to send a friend request to us on social media, could we accept it immediately, or would we have to clean up our profiles?
If we are going to be followers of Jesus, there should be a difference. We are called to come out from among the world, those not on the same godly path, and to be separate. What does it mean to be separate? That means as believers, we do not go everywhere, we do not dress in any way, we do not share certain things on our social media, we do not comment under everybody’s picture, we do not drink everything, we do not say everything. We are not being influenced by our environment but changing it for God. We do not have to become like the world to reach the world.
WE ARE CALLED TO SHINE
Light shines in the darkness; it never conforms to it.
We can only shine the light of Jesus to those around us if He is in us. Are we just talking about Jesus, or do we really know Him? Does He have all our heart or only a part? Half surrender is still no surrender. God requires us to be fully submitted and committed to Him. When we have a favourite basketball or football team, we are not half-committed to them, right? No! We are sold out with full allegiance. Jesus expects the same.
Just as we use lamps to illuminate our homes if the power goes out, Jesus wants to shine His light through every area of our lives so we can shine to the whole world. Have you ever experienced a time when someone came up to you and said, “I don’t know what it is, but there is something different about you?” Why do you think they said that? It was the Christ in you shining through you. How can He be in us? Through us spending time in His presence through praying and studying His Word. It is amazing how we can be on our phones for hours yet find excuses for not praying or reading our Bible. We wake up and first want to check our phones for the latest notifications or text messages. When Christ becomes our passion, nothing else can ever take His place.
As a young boy in primary school, I remember standing on a rock in the field, preaching and declaring the word of God to my peers, who still remind me of those times. I remember going to school to have prayer meetings and sharing the Word of God with my friends. They were not drawn to me. They were drawn to the light of Christ in me. Why? Because the Christ in me could not be hidden under a bushel. His light was not just filling me; it overflowed through me. Who or what is overflowing in our lives? Is it the latest movie, secular song, singer, or meme? Are we excited to share the scripture we read in the morning with our friends? What are we most passionate about? Those in the world cannot see us more excited and passionate about TikTok videos than the things of God.
Many of us have thousands of friends and followers on social media, and in a time where we are all on our phones, how can we not shine the light of Jesus? What is your favorite Bible verse and why? If it means a lot to you, do you think it is worth sharing with your social media friends? We can use our social media to evangelize to our peers. Enough about us. Let us show them more of Jesus.
Other ways we can shine the light of Jesus:
- Send an encouraging message to a friend.
- Call a friend to pray with them.
- Ask a classmate if you can pray for them.
- Change a negative conversation to a positive one.
- Not entertaining gossip.
- Being honest.
EVERYTHING WE DO POINTS BACK TO JESUS
The goal is never to bring praise and glory to ourselves. Everything we do should point others to JESUS. No matter how many lost souls get saved, likes or shares we get or compliments of others, God should always get the glory out of our lives. It is only through Him that we are who we are. We should never take credit for what only God can do. It is a privilege to be used by God. It is a privilege for God to place a calling and assignment on our lives. Like Esther, we have been called to the Kingdom for this time. We are not a light for Jesus for fame or popularity. That is not why we shine. There are lost souls on their way to hell, and we may be their only hope. We are some of the only Bibles people will ever read.
We represent Christ, not ourselves. We are not here to make a brand. We are here to make Jesus famous. One day, the lights will cease, and the glitz, glamour, crowd, cheers, praises, shares, and fame will cease, but only what we do for Christ will last. If ever a time we needed greater evangelism and outreach, it is now, and in a digital age, it is so easy to share the Gospel.
Raphael R. Roker 