You are the Light of the World

I have been thinking about these verses in Matthew. Matthew 5:14-16 (NIV) 14 “You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 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. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven. Jesus said that we are to be a “Light of the World.” How are you doing with that? Are you a light of the world? Jesus gives us more definition by saying that we are to let our light shine before men so that they may see our good deeds and give praise to our Father in Heaven. What does it mean in practical ways to be a light into the world? I am sure that it would include keeping our relationship with the Lord as a priority in our lives by spending time in prayer and Bible study and keeping our minds sharp by taking some Online Bible Institute courses. I am sure it would include loving people well and looking for ways to demonstrate acts of kindness and encouragement. I am sure that we should be praying for and moving into opportunities to share the Good News, the Gospel of Jesus Christ as often as we can. But I think it would also include being careful about being judgmental and critical. Just before I wrote this article I was taking a few minutes to look through my news feed on Facebook. I would say that there was not a lot of light shining through. I think we need to consider the idea that Social Media is perhaps an excellent vehicle for shining light but that we might sometimes be using it more as an opportunity to air out frustrations. Anyway, something to consider as we press on together.