Reflecting Lightfeatured

“…Let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.”  Matthew 5:16

This summer as I exercised in our pool early in the mornings, I would often see a reflection of the sunrise on a window of our home.  I couldn’t see the actual sunrise because a fence was blocking my view, but I could still experience the sunrise’s beauty because of the reflection – the light bouncing off of the window. The painting above is my interpretation of these experiences.

I began to reflect (sorry about the pun!) on what Jesus had to say about light.  In John 8:12 Jesus says, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness but will have the light of life.”  In the verse in italics above, Jesus tell us to let our light shine.  Are these verses contradicting one another?  Who has the light?  And by the way, what is this light I am supposed to have?

John 9:5 helped me to solve the contradiction issue.  Jesus says, “While I am in the world, I am the light of the world.”  I am not a theologian or even close, but when I look at this scripture along with the others, it seems to me that Jesus assigned us the task of being His light in the world after His return to heaven.

So, what is His light that I’m to shine before others?  I have been in a women’s Bible study this Fall, and we are working our way through 1^st, 2^nd, and 3^rd John.  The Apostle John has a great deal to say about both God as light (pure, good and holy) and God as love (providing a way for us to be pure, good, and holy through the gift of His Son).  After rolling these two characteristics of God around in my brain, I came to the conclusion that my light has to be God’s love.  I think the Apostle Paul reinforces this idea in 1 Corinthians 13: 1-3.  He says, “If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal.  If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing.  If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.”

So, I need to let my light “shine before others.”  I don’t know about your light, but my light is subject to flickering and fading.  When winds of doubt and worry blow, my light is not always steady and strong.  My love is fickle and faltering.  It frequently is tainted by self-absorption and pride.  

I think I am supposed to be like my window.  The light from the sunrise comes flooding into my home through the window.  At the same time, the light reflects off the window so that anyone outside sees the sunrise as well.  I need God’s light and love to flood my life.  My own light and love are way too wimpy and unreliable.  They don’t reflect an accurate picture of God’s light and love. The good news is that through the power of the Holy Spirit, His love and light can fill my heart and the light that I “shine on others” becomes a much better representation of God’s pure light and extravagant love for us.  This is the task that Jesus has given us.  In Matthew 5:16, you’ll notice that the goal is for others to see our love demonstrated in good works but not so that we receive honor and glory.  Our goal is for others to glorify our Father in heaven.  

Now there is the matter of keeping that window clean so that the reflection isn’t distorted or blocked out and that the glory goes to the right person.  But I think that is another devotion!

My prayer is that through the Holy Spirit, God will flood each of our hearts with His light and love and that others will see Him reflected in our lives – all for His glory.

Blessings to you all! [jetpack_subscription_form]