Online Bible Verses - Matthew 5:14 - Let Your Light Shine

“You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.”

Matthew 5:14

As Jesus puts it in other passages, it makes no sense to light a candle then cover it. Likewise, if you have good news, share it. I say it all the time: Gospel = good news. In order for there to be comparatively good news, there must be bad news as well. I don’t think any of us have to go far to categorize some recent news we have heard as bad. We never do, and that in itself is very bad news. Sometimes the news is horrific, and comes in succession. It can be very discouraging, unless we have been conditioned in the same way a callous forms on our foot. It hurts and hurts in the beginning, just gets more raw and sore as the irritation and inflammation worsen. After a while, we grow a rough patch of scar tissue around it, which is tough enough to handle the repetitive punishment that once seemed unbearable. We come to a point where it does not even bother us.

My daughter recently viewed the beginning portion of a documentary on the holocaust. She did not make it past the start, as she was unable to come to terms with the realization that people could treat their fellow man in a such a terrible way. She just couldn’t handle it. Why then, can I? Two reasons:

1. I have become calloused to an extent which she has not.

2. God’s word has explained to me how this could happen, and why it will continue for a time and finally end.

Scripture tells me man is not yet finished outdoing himself in the unthinkably terrible. More bad news.

Can somebody, please then, give me some good news? News good enough to make all the bad stuff go away?

There is only one message I have encountered which can do all that. It is the message brought by Christ; a unique type of message, where the original messenger was also the only person capable of dealing with a mess almost too big to conceive, let alone fix.

He has revealed to me the good news, and also instructed me to share it. He has told me not to cover up a lamp He has lit within me, one that offsets a dreadful darkness which existed prior to its lighting. He reminds me where I would be if others who received the same light had decided to keep it to themselves. Those people who knocked on my door and shared with me, called me long distance to check up and prayed for me.

So instead of going into a lengthy sermon, I would invite us all to go read for the first time, or review, the first three chapters of the Gospel of John. And, depending on when you read this, begin or end the day with some truly good news.