Let It Shine

“And he said to them, “Is a lamp brought in to be put under a basket, or under a bed, and not on a stand?” (Mark 4:21) 

Growing up, I can hear a dear old man say, “Do you use that head for more than a hat rack?” Need I explain? God does not give us “pretties” nor play things; God gives us tools, resources, aids. Hence, God refers to us as stewards, servants, ambassadors, heralds. Those very terms imply that we belong to another, that all that we have is on loan. Do you believe that? 

When God made Adam and Eve, the most wise God was precise. He gave them eyes that they may behold His works. He gave them ears that they may hear His words. He gave them taste buds that they may enjoy His fruits, and He gave them thumbs that they may work His garden. Every single digit was formed with the sole intention of serving the Lord, and it all went south the moment they used those for other purposes. With their eyes, they looked to the world. With their ears, they heard lies. With their thumbs, they gripped the fruit; and with their taste buds, they savored sin. We may say that they put their light under a basket. 

But as Solomon says, “There is nothing new under the sun.” With our eyes, we relish all that glitters of gold. With our ears, we hear lies upon lies. With our thumbs, we type monstrosities. With our taste buds, we gorge ourselves still with sin. I speak not of the world out there. No, along with Jesus, I speak of those who have heard the Word – the seed sown among the thorns, the seed with no root, the seed plucked away, the seed which bore no fruit. For all that God gave Adam and Eve, He has offered us far more in Jesus Christ. 

I cannot help but ask a simple question – what are we doing with the light we have received? God has given us all things in Christ – all things, except one. Sin. Are we burying the light under beds and baskets that we may enjoy that one thing of which we cannot have? Behind all the excuses and wherewithal, the light still shines. For that, we will be held accountable. Instead, let us be as Jesus commands in the Sermon on the Mount: “Let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.” As I sang in my childhood: “Let it shine, let it shine, let it shine!”