This is a passage you have probably heard before. It’s pretty common in the church to encourage us to get out and evangelize. One aspect of this passage that I don’t hear spoken of as often, however, is that the sureness of the stated fact.

You are the light of the world!

Simple, but definite. Jesus doesn’t say, go become the light of the world, He says you are the light of the world. The fact that you, as one who has received faith in Jesus, are the light of the world is not in question. The question is whether you will let that light shine.

Living in a Culture of Self-Imposed Censorship
As the husband of a teacher, I am well aware of the limits of what teachers can say about Jesus in the classroom. However, in many places and situations we don’t actually have forced limitations on what we can and can’t say. What we do have is a lot of pressure to not say anything.

Our current culture does much to try to intimidate us into silence. Sure, you’ll hear of the occasional incident where a Christian is shouted down or even physically assaulted, but the real goal of the enemy is to keep us from ever speaking up in the first place…and he’s been pretty successful.

Shining in the Darkness
In His sermon on the mount, Jesus is encouraging us to not be silent and not hold back on doing good to others, even if the world tells us to be quiet and stop. The implication, here, is that you don’t have to be a theologian or a gifted evangelist. Just don’t hide the light Jesus has put in you.

Every Christian has the light of Christ within them. What if we lived as followers of Christ openly? What if we spoke freely of the spiritual aspects of our lives as easily as we do sports or work? You don’t have to be pushy at all. You are just sharing your life and that life has Christ at the center of it.

So, let’s shine! Let’s stop censoring ourselves and speak openly. Let’s love others in a self-sacrificial, Christ-like way and give God the glory. We may be surprised as the lives it lights up.

Heavenly Father,

You have redeemed us and given us new life as You shined the light of Christ into our lives. Help us to shine. Embolden us that we would not hide Your light.

Amen.