Key Verse
"Neither do you light a lamp, and put it under a measuring
basket, but on a stand; and it shines to all who are in the house." Matthew 5:15
(WEB)
We don’t use candles much anymore today. When traveling
outdoors they are not very useful. Instead, we use battery-powered lights such
as flashlights and headlamps. Headlamps are very useful tools. They leave the
hands free to complete tasks while still providing light exactly where it is
needed.
In Matthew 5 we find the familiar Beatitudes Jesus preached
during the Sermon on the Mount. In verse 15 Jesus is discussing the Light of
the World. Jesus says that we are the light of the world in the previous verse.
In His sermon, he makes a very valid point, when you turn a light on, you don’t
cover it up. The same would go for a headlamp. You don’t turn it on and then
stuff it back in your backpack; that would not do you any good. You could have
left it at home and saved weight.
In this example the physical light represents the spiritual
light of truth we as Christians have. The spiritual light is exactly what Jesus
mentions earlier in this chapter in the Beatitudes—humility, kindness, mercy,
peace making. What is funny, is that often, as Christians, we keep the light to
ourselves. We read our bibles and go to church, but we keep what we learn to
ourselves. We don’t display the light of truth at school or work through our
actions. Sometimes our desire to fit in overcomes our desire to share the light
we have received.
Its like we have a really nice, expensive headlamp, but
instead of bringing it out at night to use around camp, we take it out under
cover of our sleeping bags and just stare into it. That’s pretty stupid! We
need to use our light and share the light with others.
Of course it is easy to know when you are using your
headlamp, you can see the light. But sometimes it is hard to know if we are
using our spiritual light. I mean we know when we are living a “good” life
because we are not doing anything wrong. But how can we tell if we are sharing
our light with other people? How do you know when you have been using your
headlamp or flashlight? Of course, the battery starts to run low. You know you
have been using it a lot when its time to recharge or change the batteries.
It is the same in our spiritual life. We can know if we have
really been sharing our spiritual light when we feel the need to be close to
God, to recharge. Jesus spent a lot of time alone in prayer to his Heavenly
Father. Why was this? Because he spent a lot of time sharing light through his
actions. When we openly practice humility, show kindness to the person others
make fun of, have mercy on those who hurt us, and make peace with others, it
will cause us to desire more time with God and in his Word.
Questions
What are some other ways to share the spiritual light we
have?
Is it wrong to keep the light of truth we have to ourselves?
What are good ways to recharge our spiritual batteries?
Written by David F. Garner
Photo credit: David F. Garner
Written by David F. Garner
Photo credit: David F. Garner