This Little Light of Mine

Do you remember singing this song when you were a child. I learned it in my Sunbeam class at church at a very early age. In case you haven’t heard it before, let me share with you a few of the lines from this song , “This little light of mine. I’m gonna let it shine, let it shine, let it shine, let it shine.” The second verse says,”Hide it under a bushel…NO! I’m gonna let it shine.” And the third concluding verse says,”Won’t let Satan blow it out! I’m gonna let it shine!” There were hand motions as well!
As I was reviewing a scripture from our Sunday worship service, this song came to mind. The scriture passage was Matthew 25:40 which says:

And the King will answer them, “I assure you: Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of Mine, you did it for me.”

At that point I thought to myself, “That is when our light shines the brightest, when we are going about doing our Heavenly Father’s business here on earth and doing it as if it were done for Jesus.” What a standard of service that brings to mind! So how brightly and where is your light presently shining? Does it shine most brightly when you are at church or around your Christian friends. In familiar circumstances, it doesn’t seem as hard to carry our light with us. Most of these people have their lamps with them, so we seem to fit right in and be comfortable. And there we are all letting our light shine for Jesus. Hallelujah! But where do you need light the most? Where there is darkness!
     Who is out there in that darkness? The verse refers to “the least of these brothers of mine.” Jesus starts the list for us in Matthew 25. The hungry, the thirsty, the sick, the poor, and those in prison are very specific examples. These are the people who have physical needs and the people who need Jesus. They are probably not found in our circle of friends and may not be in our socioeconomic class, but Jesus has called us to light their darkness. And who can we add to that list today? How about those whose lives have been turned upside down by one of the recent natural disasters… the flooding, tornadoes, and the tsunami. What about the people who have lost their jobs or all of their savings. And what of those who don’t know Jesus and have lost all hope as they walk through these trials.   How extremely black their darkness must seem. How alone they must feel without Jesus in their lives…without the knowledge of His love and saving grace, especially in the very worst of times. We have what they so desperately are seeking. We’ve heard the sermons. We’ve gone through the Bible studies and Sunday School classes. Our lamps are filled with the of the oil of God’s word. It’s time to quit gathering information and put what we know as truth to work for the kingdom of God.
     When was the last time you took your “light” out into the darkness to see who was out there.  Jesus wants us to step out of our comfort zone where “the least of these” are and cut through that darkness with our light.   Darkness has been scary for some of us since childhood, but we are not alone. Jesus will be at our side. Sacrifices in the form of time, money, and being less self-focused will be required, but none will equal what God sacrificed for us…His only Son, Jesus. For this we have been commissioned by God. I have recently had opportunities to share God’s light in the darkness. In the process, I feel as though I am the one receiving the blessings. Even the money I have contributed has almost to the penny come back to me from the strangest places. You cannot outgive God!
    Proudly display your light out there in the world, not under a bushel where it is not seen or solely within the walls of the church. Commit to an ongoing, close relationship with Jesus so that Satan cannot snuff it out. See who your light falls upon, and ask God for His wisdom in knowing how to minister. Then minister as if you were doing it for Jesus. Again I say, can you imagine what lengths you would go to for Him? Always remember and be thankful for the source of your light, the one who defies all darkness as stated in John 8:12–