“You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in Heaven.” – MATTHEW 5:14-16
Here, Jesus is talking to His disciples and encouraging them that they are the light of the world. He’s saying, “The revelation you’ve seen so far is enough to light up and change this world.” It was the revelation that God loved them, saved them through Jesus and wanted to work on their behalf, no matter what they’d done.
Don’t you think it’s the same with us? It’s not about your performance; it’s about what God did. And isn’t that good news? Jesus is the main event; if you put your focus on Him, it takes all the pressure off of you. Isaiah 26:3 talks about God when it says, “You will keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You.”
“It’s not about your performance; it’s about what God did.”
I think God believes in us more than we believe in us. That’s because He sees our born-again spirit (which has been made just like Jesus’). Our spirit is dancing to the reality of what Jesus did for us; we need to get our outside – our body, mind and emotions – to line up with our inside (spirit).
God sees us holy, righteous, justified and blameless, the way Jesus is. Ephesians 1:4 says, “….He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holdy and without blame before Him in love.”
When the devil tries to remind you of what you’ve done, remind him of what Jesus did. “He set me free. He paid for all my sins now and for all eternity; He did it all for me.” Our spirit was sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise (Ephesians 1:13). Colossians 1:22 tells us Jesus redeemed us “to present you hold, and blameless, and above reproach in His sight.”
When we understand what Jesus did, it lights a fire inside of us and we can let it shine.
Before we knew Jesus, there was really nothing to shine forth. It’s the knowledge and relationship with Jesus that allows us to let the light shine.
You’ve probably heard the old song, “This little light of mine, I’m gonna let it shine.” While I appreciate what it’s trying to say, it really devalues the light that’s in you. You don’t have a “little light.” It’s the brightness of God’s glory. Isaiah 60:19 says it’s an everlasting light, bright as the sun and moon. That’s not a small light.
You get an idea about this when you look at Jesus in Matthew 17:1-8. He was transfigured before three of the disciples and “shone like the sun.” Jesus was getting so close to God in human flesh that it revealed who He really was.
If you’re born again, that’s what you look like in the inside…you’re blindingly bright with revelation. Peel back that flesh and let Jesus come out of you; let Jesus be the main event. Tell people, “It’s not about me…it’s about the One Who I serve.”
To watch the message this post was based from (September 13, 2020), click here.
