You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.
“You are…” These two words open our heart to receive identity. Unfortunately, in life, these two words are often followed by lies intended to cripple, quiet, and destroy us. How many of us have heard explicitly or implicitly, “you are not enough,” “you are stupid,” “you are a failure,” “you are ugly,” or worse?
When Jesus speaks into our identity, we must receive His words in our most inner being in a way that displaces lies that we have believed about ourselves. If we do not, we suffer, our family suffers, and our community suffers. This suffering is called darkness.
In the case of this passage, Jesus calls us a light. Interestingly, Jesus is referred to as light in the Gospel of John. This comes as a reminder that we have light because He is light and gave it to us. We cannot generate this light, but we can only share it as a light that comes to us from Him.*
When we understand that the light that we share through our good works comes from who He made us to be and who He is through us, then our works must find motivation in making Him known rather than ourselves. Our works ought not point to our quality of belief or following, but to the greatness of God as our Father.
The light that we share and the works that we do comes from a place of true identity. How many lies have we believed about ourselves that have robbed us from exercising gifts, talents, and opportunities in this life that would bring Him glory? How many times have we not shined our light and thus left those we love in darkness?
I cannot count how many times in life that my belief in who I thought I was crippled my ability to bring glory to God. The crippling manifested in both a lack of doing and a lack of being. I did not do the things that God was calling me to do, and those things that I was doing, I wasn’t being a light in, so people were left in darkness. Truthfully, the lack of being manifested in my lack of doing. The problem was identity and it left myself, my family, and my community in darkness.
Today, take a step.
Maybe today the one step God wants you to take is to recognize that you are the light. Perhaps you need to pause long enough to hear Him tell you who you really are in Him. Maybe you need to reject the lies about your identity. Perhaps today God wants you to take a step of obedience in being the light. Maybe today is the day to do the things you have been doing for His glory rather than your own.
Whatever the step, ask God to direct it. Take a moment to take that step. Invite Him to speak. He will.
Life is a long road. Walk it with Jesus. Take a step today… just one is fine.
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*Leon, Morris, The Gospel According to Matthew. Pillar New Testament Commentary (Wm. B. Eerdmans, 1992), 104-106, and Keener, C. S., Matthew (Vol. 1, Mt 5:13–16) (InterVarsity Press, 1997).