During the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus said:

“You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.”

Jesus also said:

“I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

So Jesus is the light of the world, but when He lives in us, we are, too. You. You are the light of the world.

Just as we don’t light a lamp and then cover it up, we’re not to cover up the light of the world shining through us. Why? Because when our good deeds are on display, our Father in heaven is praised.

How brightly are you shining these days? Are your good deeds resulting in praise to the Father?

Personally, I find it way too easy to focus on me. My wants. My needs. My problems. My bills. My. My. My.

When that happens, I suspect I’m a pretty dim light.

I don’t think it takes much though. Just as a single candle can light a dark room, our good deeds can shine very brightly in a dark world.

This doesn’t need to be a guilt-trip or overwhelming. Start wherever you’re at with whatever you’re doing. Anyone can shine. You could:

• let someone merge into traffic.
• pay for someone’s groceries.
• encourage someone who’s down.
• clean the kitchen.
• mow your neighbor’s lawn.
• tip big. A 50% tip on a $10 check is only $5. You can afford it. Be daring and tip 100%. No, don’t leave a tract. By the way, a friend of mine who has been a server at a number of restaurants recently told me Christians are the worst tippers he’s seen. How sad is that? We should be the most generous ones.
• volunteer at a homeless shelter. See what donations they need. One near us needs leftover Wal-Mart bags.
• skip eating out for a few weeks…give the money to a missionary. They need it.
• call a friend and ask how you can be praying.
• tell your children how proud you are of them.

Start looking for ways to intentionally shine. Make it a habit. Throughout the day, ask Jesus to shine through you.

I’d love to hear what happens.