it's all about . . . shining

What does God want from us?

Though this question might be answered in any one of a number of ways, Jesus points us in the right direction when he says these words to his followers:

Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven(NASB).

In the context, Jesus had speaking about believers being the light of the world, adding that “a city on a hill cannot be hidden.” He follows with an illustration of a lamp, which is intended not to be hidden but placed in a conspicuous place so as to light the house.

It is at this point that Jesus speaks these memorable words: "In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven."

Just as a city on a hill cannot be hidden, just as a lamp is intended to perform its function of lighting a house, so too are believers to allow their light to shine.

The New Living translation puts it this way: “let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father.”

Here, then, is a section of Scripture that references light as the manner in which Jesus’ followers are to live in the world.

As we look at the passage, it is clear that Jesus is concerned about good deeds. Some deeds are faulty or bad, while others are clearly good. It is the good deeds that are highlighted here. But these deeds are not intended to be hidden or performed in secret. Rather, they are to be so evident that they draw attention. But notice, if you will, what is to be noticed. Jesus is not saying here that we are to be noticed for our boisterous talk, our fundamentalist stance, our position on issues, or our uncompromising adherence to some political agenda.

Now, it is inevitable that believers will, at some point, have to speak up for the truth and apply it to various issues and endeavors. Not only is there nothing inherently wrong with such a stance, but our duty as believers can sometimes warrant it. However, none of these things matter if we fail to fulfill this central command of Jesus . . . to shine.

More important even than the words (and the words are important!) is the power of a life well lived, the impact of “good deeds” on our fellow human beings. These deeds, of course, come in many forms. Anytime we are involved in acts of compassion, demonstrations of kindness, expressions of love, we are doing the good to which Jesus referred, and this good is something that at least some people notice. When they do, that is, when they observe goodness in action, there is, shall we say, a transcendent impulse, a tendency to look for the cause of such goodness. This, I think, is what Jesus means by glorifying the Father. They may or may not verbalize this fact, and there is no promise that this impulse will be immediately observable. But, and this is the point, at least some people will eventually realize that something “heavenly” has produced this good behavior.

So, here we have a passage that refers to good works, which–when performed–lead others to locate the source of good, God himself. But notice that this whole good works process is not some legalistic effort to perform our morality before people. This is not an injunction to act in an almost braggadocios manner. This is not a show that we parade before the world, trying to manipulate people into the kingdom of God. Though there ought to be, no doubt, an awareness among believers of their responsibilities, this should always take on an authentic tone. In other words, the Christian is not someone who puts on an act so as to draw people into some type of well-orchestrated religious conversion. Notice the way Jesus puts it here. He says–and this is key–let your light shine. What he’s talking about, in other words, is not a forced agenda, not an in-your-face effort, not some artificial delivery of a preprogrammed message. No, this is more natural (or should I say supernatural?) than that! There is a light, not any old light but the light that originates in the Son of God, and this light is made available to those who are believing. It is this light–motivated by God’s unconditional love, stimulated by past and present blessings, hope-induced by divine promises, and energized by the Spirit of truth and love–it is this light that, well, that . . . SHINES.

Though there are certain rules of Christian conduct, and while there are some basic parameters for defining and living the Christian life (and we don’t want to neglect these), the essence of the faith involves shining. Within the framework of what God has revealed, followers of Jesus are to shine!

Our first priority is not that of being a nuisance (though some, unfortunately, will interpret our lives this way). Our highest ideal is not to shove some memorized formulas down people’s throats. Our greatest accomplishment will not be drawing attention to our (right or wrong) agendas. What will really matter? How about being gripped by a sense of joy and love? What about truly caring about both God and others? Or, perhaps immersing ourselves in thoughts of what we can all be when we align ourselves with our Maker and his purposes? When these things take center stage, it’s not so much a matter of rules and principles. It’s about shining.

There’s an old Keith Green song that contains these words:

I want to shine the light you gave,
Through Your Son, you sent to save us,
From ourselves and our despair,
It comforts me to know you're really there.

That’s it! It’s about shining! “Lord, enable us to shine so that you (not we) get the ultimate credit.”