Letting Our Light Shine

By M. Karen Brewer

     The importance of allowing our light to shine is so that others can see not us, but Jesus in us.

     When we let our light shine--more precisely, when we allow the light of Christ to shine through us--we become a target for the enemy. Scripture says that we should not be surprised when this happens, for Satan desires to hide our light, so that others will not be drawn to the light of Christ.

     There is a false light -- in reality, darkness masked as light -- that misrepresents the true light and misleads those who are easily deceived.

     The lost are searching for the true light, so we must be determined to not let our light be extinguished, to not let the enemy hide our light, so that we can reflect the light of Christ into the lives of others so that they are not deceived by the enemy's counterfeit light.

     We must place service and devotion to God first in our lives, for Jesus said that the greatest commandment is to love the Lord with all of our heart, our mind, and our soul. The enemy will try to stop our serving God, and attempt to make us fail in our effort, and will try to steal our joy and instill a spirit of fear, but we must give notice to the devil that we will not give in and that we will not give up on serving the Lord, that we will not be driven away from the task that God has called us to and chosen us for. The enemy will try to steal the seed of the Gospel from being sown, but we must not let the enemy stop us from being fruitful in the Lord's work. Lives and souls are at stake; although others may be diverted by the trivial, we must remain focused on the significant matter of sharing Jesus. We must be determined to outlast the enemy.

     Christ said that we must love others as we love ourselves, and that is the second greatest commandment. It is easy to care for those who are kind and loving toward us, but the true test comes when someone turns unkind and unloving. We must not fight that person, but fight the enemy who is using that person--by continuing to be kind to that person, to speak well of that person, and to pray for that person. Christ said of those who hurt Him, "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do." When we give someone unmerited grace and forgiveness, we are acting like Jesus. Love covers a multitude of sins.

     We must not let the enemy take away those who are precious to us. Scripture says that the devil is the father of lies and a thief who comes to steal, kill, and destroy. The enemy will try to steal, kill, and destroy relationships, to destroy our faith in God through destroying our faith in one another. The enemy can be transformed into an angel of light in order to deceive and to sow discord. The enemy's motive is not to draw people to Christ, but away from Christ, not to the Gospel but away from the Gospel. He serves, not to please the Lord, but to gain power for himself, and he seeks to remove the righteous who proclaim the true message.

     We must not let the enemy change who we are, but continue to lead a life of integrity in our words and deeds, for what is of utmost importance is our testimony, our influence for the cause of Christ, our consistency in our walk with the Lord, even when others may be inconsistent, knowing that we honor God with our lives in doing what is right, and in being peaceful and peacemakers, and that, even when others' creed and conduct may not agree, our character will remain blameless and true.

     In this journey, we must encourage our fellow laborers in Christ, lifting one another up in prayer, speaking words to build up others. Scripture says to do good unto all, but especially to those of the household of faith. When we profess Christianity, we represent Christ to the world, in how we treat others. Jesus said that the world will know that we are His disciples by our love for one another. And the lost world will be drawn to the love of the light that reflects the love of Christ.

Letting Others See Jesus in Us

  by M. Karen Brewer

     How does a lost world know that Christianity is real and that the Bible is not just an ancient book? By seeing Jesus Christ work through the lives of  believers today. The world will know that Jesus is real when they see that His followers are real.

     Nothing else in our lives matters more than loving God and loving others.

     God cares significantly about how we treat others, both the lost and our fellow believers. He cares that we treat others the way Jesus treated others.

     We are not expected to be perfect, but we are called to be pure, kind, and truthful, a person of integrity and worthy of trust.

     We are expected to be peacemakers and not sowers of strife.

     Our goodness is expected to be genuine at all times.

     As followers of Christ, we may be the only Bible that many lost people read.

     If there is a difference between what we say we believe and how we actually live, then others will cry 'hypocrisy' and want nothing to do with the message we proclaim.

     How we treat others may have a bearing on whether or not they come to know the Lord or whether they lose faith in God because they lose faith in us.

     We need to not only tell people about Jesus, but show them Jesus.

     We need to speak words to encourage, not discourage. Our actions need to build others up, not tear them down.

     Before we speak or act, we should first ask ourselves: Would Jesus say or do this? Will what I am about to say or do bring honor or dishonor to God and the message of Christianity?

     We are to be a good and godly influence.

     We are to be not self-centered or prideful, but selfless, and have a humble, gentle spirit.

     We are to speak in love, not anger.

     We are to rule with love, not fear.

     We are to speak words that bring smiles, not tears.

     We are to act so as to bring joy to others' hearts, not pain.

     If we fall short, we are not to misplace blame, but take responsibility and make things right.

     We are to remember that we are in a spiritual battle, and that the enemy would seek to divide us.

     But we are also to remember that the enemy's days are numbered, and that God will one day expose him who deceives and causes division.

     We are to continue fighting the good fight of faith and be valiant soldiers for Christ. Our victory is in winning souls. Our defeat is in losing them.

     We are all running a race--but we are running together--so we must encourage each other to win.

     We are to shine the light of Christ into the lives of others, and we are to shine so that others see not us, but the reflection of the Lord in us.

     Do others see the compassion of Christ in your eyes?

     Do they hear his gentleness in your voice?

     Do they sense his love in your presence?

A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.

John 13:34-35

Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God. Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.

Matthew 5:8-9