Let it shine

No man, when he hath lighted a candle, putteth it in a secret place, neither under a bushel, but on a candlestick, that they which come in may see the light. The light of the body is the eye: therefore when thine eye is single, thy whole body also is full of light; but when thine eye is evil, thy body also is full of darkness. Take heed therefore that the light which is in thee be not darkness. If thy whole body therefore be full of light, having no part dark, the whole shall be full of light, as when the bright shining of a candle doth give thee light. – Luke 11.33-36

Nobody who lights a candle then goes and hides it away or puts it under a bushel. When we light a light we do it so that it will shine and give us light. Normally when we light a light we put it on a stand so that its light shines clear and bright and illuminates the area around it. It casts away darkness and dispels the shadows.

We read a lot about light. I like this section though because it talks about the singleness of light that allow no room for darkness. We have an adjustable lamp in our sitting room behind my chair. If I just barely turn it on there are still a lot of things you can’t see very well.

That’s how we all shine our light sometimes. The light never goes out but sometimes there is barely a glimmer. Now, that glimmer is better than no light, but we ought to strive by the grace of God that our light shines at its full capacity. We can’t do that if we are weighted down by the distractions of the world or sin in our lives.

How is my light shining today? Is it shaded and shadowed, or am I shining the light with all the Light of the World?