It is interesting that, in the context of telling His disciples to let their lights shine, Jesus also talked about murder, adultery, and how enemies should be treated. God’s plan is that, as we shine in this world, many people will be drawn to Him. Because of His presence in our lives, we can convey a sense of hope, a positive outlook, and a perspective that looks beyond the troubles of this life. Since we have been called out of darkness, the way we conduct our daily lives – the way we speak, our attitudes, our actions and our character – ought to reflect God’s work in us. The Apostle Peter wrote, “You are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His wonderful light” (1 Peter 2:9). Our lives should declare to the world what God’s grace has done. Since His resurrection from the dead and His ascension into heaven, His disciples – including you and me – share the mission of shining forth His light. In John 8:12, Jesus identified Himself as “the Light of the world.” Later, He said, “As long as I am in the world, I am the Light of the world” (John 9:5). Many people – even some in the church – appear to have lost their moral consciences. Such teachings come through hypocritical liars, whose consciences have been seared as with a hot iron” (1 Timothy 4:1-2). Paul wrote, “The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons. Clearly, people are becoming more and more blinded by sin as darkness seeks to envelop the earth.
Abortions are performed matter-of-factly, and actions are evaluated in light of their situational context rather than by moral absolutes. In recent years, there has been a rapid decline in morality – to the point where, in the United States and some other countries, even the definition of marriage has been changed to allow same sex couples to be legally wed. It would be hard to deny that the world is growing darker. Paul said, “People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God – having a form of godliness but denying its power” (2 Timothy 3:2-5). The world is a dark place, and scripture tells us that it is going to grow even darker in the last days. Anything less would be like hiding a lamp under a bushel basket and expecting the room to be filled with light. God’s message here is plain: as believers, each of us is called to live in a way that gives light to others. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven” (Matthew 5:14-16). Instead, they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl.
Jesus said, “You are the light of the world. If you attended Sunday School as a child, you may remember singing, “This little light of mine, I’m gonna let it shine.” It may seem like a cute children’s song, but it actually offers a simple theology that should challenge believers of all ages.