“You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden; nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on the lamp stand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven." Matthew 5:14-16
One of the things I grew up with (and I suspect most kids did and still do) is to be sure to be in the house by the time the street lights came on. Why was this such an important rule in so many families? The simple answer is that it gets dark and in the words of my mom, "nothing good happens after dark." The implication was that those who were up to no good used the darkness as a cover and that I was not to be up to no good nor confused with anyone who was.
If you think about it, street lights were created to provide illumination against the dark, but their effect is limited. The admonition was to come into the house where it was and is safe and that the whole place could be lit up and the family could be together. Even if a room was dark, you turned on the light before entering.
Beloved, though there were no street lights in Jesus' day, forms of light against the darkness were available and he analogizes the exercising of our faith to them. It seems that the darkness of this world is ever increasing and there are more and more people up to no good. As Jesus beckoned us to come to the light that he himself is, he has also said that having been illuminated by him, we too are light. And as light, we can attract others from the darkness into the safety of the house of the Lord where all the family is located. We do this simply by sharing with others what he has shared with us.
Do you share your light with those in need of it or do you hide it so as not to attract a "bad element"? We must be willing to do just as Jesus has done: let it shine, let it shine, let it shine!
One,
Lee
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