The Bible says in Matthew 5:16, “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.” Every Christian should be a shining light. Are you letting your light shine?
Recently, I had the opportunity to see one of the greatest natural wonders of the world. I went with my family to view Carlsbad Caverns in New Mexico. We started at the top of the cave and hiked down into the depths of the earth. As we hiked, the guides told us stories about the original explorers of the cave. These brave adventurers would venture into the dark with nothing but a tiny lamp to show the way. When we were more then a mile underground, the guide sat our group down and told us that she was going to duplicate the original conditions the explorers went through. Our guide went over to the light switch and turned it off. Suddenly, it was totally and completely dark. We could not see our hands in front of our faces or the person next to us. It was dark! After waiting in the dark for five minutes so our eyes would dilate, the guide pulled out a cigarette lighter out and told us that the small flame from the lighter was the same amount of light the explorers would have had. When she told us she was going to light it, I thought the lighter would light up her face, or perhaps the area around her feet. We were in a huge room and there was no way the flicker of flame would affect the darkness much. But, when the lighter was lit, suddenly we could see the entire room. We could see the stalactites and the stalagmites, we could see the roof and the people around us. That one tiny light lit up the whole room!
The world is a dark place, but one Christian light in a dark place will light the entire area up! Evil is dark, but one act of love can make darkness flee. By letting our light shine, we bring glory to our Father in heaven.
For years, scientists have argued about the definition of light. Some experiments show that light is a series of particles, other experiments prove that light is a wave. Finally, there is one definition that many agree on.
Light is the presence of power! Light is power, every living thing on earth relies on the sun for power. Without light, we would not be able to live. Darkness is not an opposite power, it is only the absence of power. Therefore, if God is light, and Satan is the prince of darkness; God has all the power and Satan has none. Darkness can not survive in the presence of light. As soon as light comes into a room, darkness must leave.
Light travels at 186,000 miles per second. This means that when you flip the light switch in your room, darkness leaves the room at 186,000 miles per second. When a Christian walks into a dark area, Satan must run. Every lightbulb needs a power source. Every Christian also needs a source of power. Jesus promised, “But you shall receive power after the Holy Spirit comes upon you and you shall be witnesses unto me in Jerusalem, and Judea, and Samaria, and unto the uttermost ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8). The Holy Spirit is our power source and he gives us the ability to be a shining light around the world.
Oswald J. Smith once said, ‘The light that shines farthest, shines brightest near to home.” When we reach out to the lost, love the unlovable, heal the sick, and do good works; we are letting our light shine. We are supposed to go everywhere and to tell everyone about Jesus. I challenge you to be a witness of God’s power in your home, in your neighborhood, in your workplace, in other countries, and unto the uttermost ends of the earth.
When light goes through a prism, it is split into a spectrum of colors. The white light becomes beams of red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and purple. Light is actually composed of all these colors mingled together. Since Christians are the ones who shine God’s light to the world, the miracle is that God has taken so many different types of colors, types, and flavors of Christianity and mingled us into a single, powerful light.
Remember the song you used to sing as a child, “This little light of mine, I’m going to let it shine..?” Well, this is a good time to begin shining. You can shine by helping with community outreach, going on a mission trip, or by smiling at a lonely heart. The words of God are echoing across the centuries, “Let there be light….” and the answer rings ever louder, “…and there was light” (Genesis 1:1). We are the light of the world.
About Daniel King
Evangelist Daniel King, D.Min is on a mission to lead people to Jesus. He has visited over seventy nations preaching good news and he has led over two million people in a salvation prayer. To support King Ministries in our quest for souls, click here!
