Luke 11:33 No man, when he hath lighted a candle, putteth it in a secret place, neither under a bushel, but on a candlestick, that they which come in may see the light.
One of the greatest “inventions of mankind” is that of fire. I am not sure that we actually invented, or even discovered it as much as that God gave it it us. Not only is fire an invaluable source by which we can cook food, it is the foundation for every form of artificial light known to man.
Light is one of those things that we use so often, and it is so much at our disposal when we need it, that it is easy to take for granted. However, when we need it and don’t have it or do not have enough to see what we want to do, it becomes obvious just how valuable it is to us.
In the Bible, God uses the contrast of light and darkness to differentiate between his goodness and the darkness of evil, sin and satan. When we as humans have been given God’s grace, we have received the benefit of God’s light. That is the foundation of Jesus’ teaching in our text today.
It would be inconceivable to have a power outage during the night hours and simply choose not to get out our flashlights that could help us navigate through house. As in Jesus’ example, it is even more inconceivable to have a candle lit at night and choose to put a basket over it so that no one can benefit from the light. Why would anyone do such a thing?
Why indeed. When we have received the blessing of God and choose not to put them on display for the world to see, we have done the same things with God’s light. We live in a world of darkness, sin and evil. Those that are dominated by darkness need to see the light that God has given to us. Our light may be the only light that they ever see.
We do not have to be obnoxious about letting our light shine. We don’t have to be so “in-your-face” that your friends, co-workers and neighbors run when they see you coming. Jesus wasn’t like that. But Jesus did take every opportunity that was offered to him. He also coupled his preaching with service to others. When you help someone out, you will have the opportunity to explain why that you have been so blessed. When you do your light and the light of God is shining clearly.
Part of showing your light is not being ashamed of what you stand for. I am troubled today as I write this, because we have a spiritual war going on in this country, the likes I have never seen. The Supreme Court of the United States is considering a couple of legal issues regarding homosexuality and gay marriage. The Bible is crystal clear on this matter. To miss is can only be explained because you WANT to miss it.
Matthew 13:14-15 And in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Esaias, which saith, By hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and shall not perceive:(15) For this people’s heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them.
The point is, that I have seen several “christians” come out in support of “equality”. Where are their lights? Shouldn’t we ALWAYS take the side of God...IN ALL THINGS? There should be NO reason why we should put our lights under a bushel...Not “equality”, not “choice”, not freedom, nor “love”, or even our beloved constitution.
Don’t get me wrong. We can let our lights so shine...we can make our stand on the side of God without being hateful, disrespectful, mean spirited, unloving, unkind or any such thing. And we MUST! Jesus converted sinners to his way through love and compassion because his way is better than the way of sin. If we as christians do not make that pitch, if we cannot make that argument...then who will!
Jesus used the symbolism of light and darkness for a reason. And as we look, our world is getting darker and darker all of the time. We need God’s light now, as much as ever. For if we don’t, the light of God will disappear from our country altogether.
Reflecting His SON,
Dennis Hogan
Minister, North Hardin Church of Christ
North Hardin Church of Christ
1804 Sam Stewart Dr.
Radcliff, KY 40160
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