Matthew 15:6
“In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.”
When you know Jesus it’s almost impossible to keep quiet. When you truly know him you’ve just got to tell others about him. I’m not talking, know his story, know the facts, know where he was from. No, I’m talking know his heart, know his character, know him as a friend.
As a little kid, I can remember sitting out in the front yard of my grandma’s house, chalk and bikes cluttering the driveway. My sister and I would sing our Sunday school songs with my grandma and I remember loving “This Little Light of Mine.” I’d wave around my pretty polished pointer-finger with a big grin across my face shouting, “This little light of mine, I’m gonna let it shine.” When the part about hiding your light under a bushel came in the melody my sister and I would scream, “No! I’m gonna let it shine” and roll around on the grassy lawn, filled with this contagious joy.
That joy was the Holy Spirit. That joy was the good news of the Gospel. That joy was oozing from our hearts because even as little kids, my sister and I knew Jesus.
As you get older, letting your light shine looks and feels a little different We’re clouded with more. In high school, we throw masks of popularity over our light. In the professional world, we fear what speaking out for Jesus would do to our career paths, so we stay quiet, hiding our love for Jesus under a bushel.
But if we truly knew him, If we knew Jesus as a dear friend, there is no way we could hide him under a bushel, keep quiet in fear of embarrassing ourselves. We’d yell from the rooftops how wonderful and mighty and awesome Jesus is. Well, maybe not that extreme, but our social media would point back to Jesus. The content we made on Tik Tok would glorify him. The music we listened to and the movies we watched, the way we chatted casually with friends, the way we talked to our parents, it would look a little different.
When we know Jesus, love him as he loves us, we’re holding our light out in plain view. We’re letting our light shine, even if we don’t realize it. People see our light and know that there’s something different about us. The light we have form knowing Jesus shines bright enough to bring others into relationship with Jesus. That’s worth shining for.
Today, take a second to find your light again. Ask Jesus to reveal to you whether or not your hiding under a bushel or diming it in any way. Be honest with yourself and take time to let your light shine in new glorious ways today. Because when you know Jesus, it’s impossible to not let your light shine.