Shine

You may remember the song, “This little light of mine, I’m going to let it shine ….” What you may not know is it was written in the early 1900s, derived from Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount where He describes attitudes and actions for His followers to know and live by. A possible summary of this message: Live a life pleasing and obedient to the Lord in a manner that is full of love, grace, kindness, wisdom, discernment and honesty. 

In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.

─ Matthew 5:16 ESV

In Matthew 5, Jesus shared His sermon for all to hear. He encouraged His followers to be a light and not to hide. He encouraged followers to be peacemakers, to thirst for righteousness, to be merciful and kind and to pursue righteousness by focusing on the Lord. As you already understand, even the sunniest days can still have darkness. Your light (attitude and actions) plugged into the Source (Jesus) reflects light to others on the brightest days and even during their darkest moments. 

You are a light made to shine for others to see Him and be encouraged. 

You are the tangible messenger who can encourage others through your smiling face, listening ears, deliberate presence, genuine friendliness, sincere empathy or wise counseling. Let the Lord be your energy source for every encounter He has prepared for you. You are a light made to shine for others to see Him and be encouraged. 

“Let your light shine …” implies permission and choice. By accepting Christ as Savior of your life, you have absolute permission and authority to let the radiance of Christ shine through you. It’s your choice to shine. Share your light and be bright.

Today’s One Thing

Read Matthew 5:14-16 and ask the Lord to help you have the actions and attitude pleasing to Him, and joyfully shine for others to see Him. 

Go Deeper

Receive Devotionals like This in Your Email