You are the light of the world. A city situated on a hill cannot be hidden. No one lights a lamp and puts it under a basket, but rather on a lampstand, and it gives light for all who are in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven. Matthew 5:14-16 HCSB
I have a sermon in which I use a Christmas tree light, a night light, a regular light bulb for a lamp, and a flood light as an illustration. The Christmas tree light that flickers off and on represents the person who goes to church at Easter and Christmas but seldom attends church and certainly does not want others to know he is a Christian. The night light represents the person who is a Christian and attends church periodically but seldom stands up for his faith or lets anyone know he is a Christian. The regular light bulb represents the person who is a Christian, attends church regularly, gives to the church regularly, and sometimes lets people know he is a Christian, but he is not outspoken about his faith. The flood light represents the person who is striving to live his life for Christ. He attends church regularly, gives a tithe, and actively lives out his faith. He is not afraid to talk about his Christian faith and actively seeks to share his faith with others who need
to know Jesus as Lord and Savior.
Jesus used light as a illustration. He told His disciples that they were the light of the world and that they needed to put their light on a lampstand and let it shine for the whole world to see. They were to light the way for others to show them the path out of darkness. They were to do good works and glorify God.
Challenge: Which light would Jesus assign to you? Christmas light? Night light? Regular light bulb? Or flood light? What are you doing to let your light shine before men? Pray that your life will be a light, showing the way to others who need to see the light of Jesus Christ.