Shine in the Darkness
By Amy
One of my fondest memories of Sunday School was learning the song “This Little Light of Mine.” I was so excited to sing it to my mom, dad, and basically everyone I saw, because let’s face it, not only was it an amazing song with a catchy jingle, but it had actions, too. I loved that song so I much I practically sang it in my sleep. Although nowadays I don’t exactly have “This Little Light of Mine” on a play list in my ipod, the song still holds a powerful message that I want to sing to everyone - the message of God wanting us to shine our light no matter what, not only to those who already know Jesus, but to everyone else, too.
Won’t let Satan blow it out, NO! We have all been in a situation where Satan temps us at a vulnerable time. I hate to admit it, but every teacher or parent who told me that fighting temptation as I got older would become harder was absolutely right. But God has promised that he would never allow us to be tempted more than we can handle. That means everything from drugs, alcohol, sex, and even gossip. As 1 Corinthians 10:13 says, “No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.” With God there is no way Satan can blow our light of faith out.
Hide is under a bushel, NO! Peer pressure is a major hinderance to our faith life. There are many situations where you find yourself keeping quiet when your friend is doing something you know is wrong instead of speaking up and risking your reputation, or even giving into one of their sins so that you aren't called a “goody-two shoes Christian”. But Christ tells us differently in Matthew 5:16 “In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.”
Let it shine ‘till Jesus comes! No matter what we do, we should always live our faith, because we don’t have a sign on us that reads, “Hi, my name is Amy. I’m a Christian. I love Jesus and you should, too.” Instead of a sign we have actions, and like it or not, people will judge you on those actions. Jesus says in Matthew 24:42 “Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come”. The way we can keep watch is by making sure we get the glorious message out to others and share the love God has shown to us.
“You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden,” Matthew 5:14. My prayer is that you let your light shine in this sin-darkened world onto others, all the day through. Not with apathy as though you are doing it in your sleep, but proclaim God’s love and mercy that you have been blessed with. Let it shine, let it shine, let it shine!