He came to life, and a great star shone.
The true light that gives light to all men came into the world.
He invited us—Follow Me. Now you are the light of the world, He said. Let your light shine before others.
We’ve all been with people who were trying to let their light shine. Trying to follow Jesus. Trying to be what they thought they were supposed to be. It never works. People who try to be who they’re “supposed to be” often leave us looking for the first exit.
Because this is posing, not shining. They’re putting the cart before the horse, trying to create the end result, and this is no way to shine.
Does your light shine before others, so they see your good works and praise (not you, but) the Lord?
Don’t think big, as if you need a stage in order to shine. Think small—your friends, family, co-workers, students, classmates, teachers, neighbors. Does your light shine?
I know you want to inspire people to fall before God, so He can raise them up to life. You’ve experienced this to some extent, so why wouldn’t you want the same for everyone you know? But don’t make assumptions about what it means to shine His light. Don’t hold back the truth of your life and present the polished-up, Sunday-morning, “closer to Jesus” version instead.
Don’t complicate the shining. It’s as simple as 1—2:
1. Come into the light.
This is the kicker. You cannot shine His light without first coming into the light.
My sin separates me from God, and I cannot do anything to fix it on my own…I need Jesus.
So come—repent—let your spirit be refreshed.
Then shine. Except there’s more.
Continue to come to God because every fiber of our beings need to be made new.
We need total heart & mind makeovers, with God the master designer. He holds the plans, we come often and humbly, and He makes it happen.
Transformation is a process. None of us who live are there yet. But He who began a good work in us will be faithful to complete it. So come into the light, day after day, and let Him transform your heart and mind.
2. Shine!
Here’s how: be you. Fully you but also fully His.
YOU are being made new by Him daily, because you are coming to Him, to His light. You are imperfect but progressing, a mess but growing.
Shine that. Be real, be authentic. Be willing to risk it.
Don’t try to be who you think you’re supposed to be. They know.
Imperfect people crave honesty from other imperfect people. So don’t try to be where you “should be”.
Be where you are, who you are, under God, by His grace—a world away (literally) from perfect, but humbly being transformed by Him every day.
Go ahead now. Shine…
