Let Your Light Shine

“Let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.” Matthew 5:16 (NIV) It was really dark when we started out in the morning from home. We were heading out on a gospel music ministry trip to northern Ontario. About five minutes from home, we noticed a very bright light up ahead. We came over a hill and realized that the light was coming from a huge greenhouse that had just been built. There were other smaller lights on the landscape as we drove, but this one stood out! This one really caught my eye because bright lights are not the norm in the rural prairie area where we live. The Bible talks about us being “lights” in this world. There is a lot of woundedness, evil, pain and darkness around us. There are many things in this world that don’t line up with the light of God’s Word. Matthew 5:16 encourages us to let our light be seen by those around us: “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father which is in heaven.” When people see the difference that knowing Jesus makes for us, then they can recognize that the change is rooted in that relationship. The night can be really dark, and the world around us can be godless, but like the light of that greenhouse, our changed lives can be seen as a refreshing contrast to the darkness. There are times in life when our own attitudes and actions can dim the brilliance of God’s radiance and brightness that He intended for us to reflect. It’s times like that where we need to surrender our selfishness to Him and let His light begin to shine through us again. Is God’s light reflecting in your life today? If it’s dim or almost extinguished, it’s time to let the Lord renew His reflection. — Milly Jackson   Council Fire is a collaboration with Intertribal Life Ministries and Native Evangelical Fellowship of Canada. The Council Fire Daily Devotional Book Set is available on the Intertribal Life Ministries website. Learn more about Council Fire at councilfire365.org