A Bible Study by Jack Kelley
We read last time that Jesus is the Light of the World:
When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” (John 8:12)
Jesus is the Light of the World, and by the grace of God, so are we:
“You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven. (Matthew 5:14-16)
What does this mean?
Just as the moon has no light of its own, but reflects the light of the sun, we too have no light of our own… we are meant to reflect the light of the Son. To shine His light so brightly that God is glorified when others see our good works.
We know that we are saved by what we believe not how we behave, and the good works we do afterward should be out of our extreme gratitude for the gift we could never hope to earn.
In gratitude for this unmerited favor, we seek the Lord and join in with what He is doing here. Our good deeds that glorify our Father in Heaven include giving to those in need. With His abundance (2 Corinthians 9:11) we can give food, water, clothing or shelter to those without. We can share His good news. We can give our time and love to the lonely and the hurting, our strength to the weak, and our encouragement to those feeling lost or grieving. We have freely received, so we can freely give. (Matthew 10:8)
Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven. It was this verse that convinced us to start sharing some of our local ministry work on this site. It is our heart’s desire that the Lord be glorified in what we do here. For years we gave only in secret following Matthew 6:2-4:
“So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.”
Are we to share our good works so the Lord may be glorified? Or do we not let our left hand know what our right is doing and give in secret? We should be doing both as He leads. There is blessing in giving and having only you and the Lord in the know. And it blesses others to see our good works and glorify our Father, and maybe even have a chance to join in. This is one way to spur one another on toward love and good deeds. (Hebrews 10:24)
We seek the Lord and let him guide us, every day and in every decision. The Lord desires a real relationship with us. He doesn’t give us a checklist of things to do. He invites us to spend time with Him and know Him. We abide in Him and hear His voice (John 10-:27) and let Him guide our decisions.
Our Prayer: Lord, we quiet ourselves before You and find joy in your Presence. Let us show your love, and bring your light to a world in darkness. Help us also to spur one another along in love and good deeds to glorify you, not ourselves. Amen.
P.S. This verse also has prophetic fulfillment in the Millennium, when the light from our home in the New Jerusalem will be sufficient to provide light for the whole earth as well.
The city had no need of the sun or of the moon to shine in it, for the glory of God illuminated it. The Lamb is its light. And the nations of those who are saved shall walk in its light, and the kings of the earth bring their glory and honor into it. (Rev. 21:23-24)