You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden; nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. 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. Matthew 5:14-16
This paragraph is likely part of verse 13 (you are the salt of the earth), however, this paragraph does carry some additional meaning which would make a devotional entry too lengthy.
Why do we use light? We use light, not for the light to glory in itself, but for the light to illuminate the world around us. Light is used to make a pathway visible, make a room usable, reduce fear when shadows persist, help us find things in an otherwise dark area, and help others find their way toward us.
In this way, light is a tool and a useful tool at that. The light is not illuminated for itself but is meant to be shared and be beneficial. Jesus here instructs us to be lit, to not hide our light, and to let our light shine.
Similar to salt, we are lit with the gospel to be a beacon of hope to those around us, a lower light along the shore to point the way to safety, and to bring the brightness of Christ’s righteousness into the world.
Yet it seems that many concepts could serve as a basket. The basket in our lives can be unrighteousness, laziness, lust of the world, pride, indifference, or inconsistent character. All these, and many more like them, serve to stifle the brightness of our light. In the Bible, evil is portrayed as darkness, and light is portrayed as righteousness. Jesus is clear that the two cannot co-exist simultaneously.
A room is either dark or light. The light is either on or off; the candle is lit or it is not. We cannot be both righteous and unrighteous at the same time. Jesus does not allow this, and the whole of the Bible stands against it. We must choose whether we will increase darkness or increase light. To the extent we practice unrighteousness, we are thus unrighteous. That we attempt to or believe that we do practice righteousness, the energy needed for it to shine brightly is sucked away by our unrighteousness. Thus, we cannot be both. If we say we are righteous but continue in sin, we are unrighteous still.
As salt preserves a world mired in the decay of evil, light dispels the shadows of evil’s darkness. We reduce the amount of evil in the world as the light of our righteousness glows brighter. Let the holiness of Christ alone be the standard for brightness today.
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