Okay, sing along with me, “This little light of mine, I’m going to let it shine, oh…” Perhaps you remember singing this song as a child in Sunday school or maybe at camp but what does it really mean?
In Matthew 5:14 Jesus said, “You are the light of the world” and in verse 16, “Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.” We often think (and rightly so) of these verses as an admonition to be light to the unconverted people of the world. But, I want to suggest that fulfilling these verses is not limited to the geography outside the walls of our ministries.
What about being a light within our churches? How about shining in our Christian organizations, camps or youth retreats? When Jesus said “let your light shine before men” did He only mean for those who were in darkness?
Our churches, organizations and ministries are comprised of people and not everyone who sits in a pew or works on staff is necessarily a Spirit filled, committed Christian. Perhaps if we worked at being light in our churches - and affecting the lives of other believers who in turn would do the same - our light would be more attractive to the unconverted world.
If we fine-tuned our good works as a body of believers “glorifying the Father” within the Family, what type of message would that send to those outside of Christ? Perhaps realizing that light is needed everywhere, our attitudes about other believers would also be adjusted. Maybe we would no longer be as:
- quick to judge
- swift to criticize
- ready to hear gossip
- stubborn to forgive
- impatient to wait
- resistant to give
- hardened to change
Do we only need light in the darkness? I don’t think so, but that is just one opinion. What do you think?
