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Commands of Christ

Let Your Light Shine

Where is this command found?

“Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.”

Matthew 5:16

Applying This Command

A critical component of light is energy. If there was nothing energizing the light, there would be no light. The command of Christ, Let Your Light Shine, is exactly the same way.

Christ says that we as believers are the “light of the world.” But, without Christ being the very source of our life, we will not have the ability to shine His light. This is why being diligent to take time developing a personal relationship with the Lord is so vital. God not only becomes the very source of our life, He also displays His life through us. It is this life that shines His light for others to see, drawing them to Himself.

The opposite is also true. Trying to imitate God’s light without Him as the very source of that light is actually a counterfeit. This is a facade and will not stand the test of time. It is only by abiding in the light, as He is in light, that we are able to be the light.

Bible Verses for Meditation

In addition to meditation on Matthew 5:16, meditating on the verses below will provide you with further insight and understanding of Christ’s command: Let Your Light Shine.

John 8:12

“Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.”

Ephesians 5:8

“… Now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light.”

Ephesians 2:10

“For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.”

Philippians 2:14–15

“Do all things without murmurings and disputings: That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world.”

I Peter 2:12

“Having your conversation honest among the Gentiles: that, whereas they speak against you as evildoers, they may by your good works, which they shall behold, glorify God in the day of visitation.”

Titus 3:8

“This is a faithful saying, and these things I will that thou affirm constantly, that they which have believed in God might be careful to maintain good works. These things are good and profitable unto men.”

Related Episodes

From the Podcast

Dive deeper into the command Let Your Light Shine with these episodes from the Commands of Christ podcast!

View all episodes

Let Your Light Shine — Part 1

15:58

Let Your Light Shine — Part 2

16:38

Let Your Light Shine — Part 3

18:17

Let Your Light Shine — Part 4

15:32

Study Question

Q: Since “God is light, and in him is no darkness at all” (I John 1:5), how does God use darkness to accomplish His purposes?

A: Darkness was one of the first elements identified in Creation, and it was not until God created light that He separated darkness. “And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness” (Genesis 1:4).

Throughout Scripture, God creates and uses both darkness and light for His purposes. He is a powerful, awesome God, and therefore He can use anyone and anything to display His might. Here are a few examples of His use of darkness to gain greater glory:

Darkness inspires awe.

“And the people stood afar off, and Moses drew near unto the thick darkness where God was” (Exodus 20:21).

Darkness reveals God’s power to create it.

“And the LORD said unto Moses, Stretch out thine hand toward heaven, that there may be darkness over the land of Egypt, even darkness which may be felt. And Moses stretched forth his hand toward heaven; and there was a thick darkness in all the land of Egypt three days” (Exodus 10:21–22).

Darkness is a form of God’s protection.

“And the angel of God, which went before the camp of Israel, removed and went behind them; and the pillar of the cloud went from before their face, and stood behind them: And it came between the camp of the Egyptians and the camp of Israel; and it was a cloud and darkness to them, but it gave light by night to these: so that the one came not near the other all the night” (Exodus 14:19–20).

Darkness is a motivation to seek the hidden things of God.

“He discovereth deep things out of darkness, and bringeth out to light the shadow of death” (Job 12:22).

“And I will give thee the treasures of darkness, and hidden riches of secret places, that thou mayest know that I, the LORD, which call thee by thy name, am the God of Israel” (Isaiah 45:3).

Darkness confounds the wicked.

“The way of the wicked is as darkness: they know not at what they stumble” (Proverbs 4:19).

Darkness is used for punishment of wrongdoing.

“Whoso curseth his father or his mother, his lamp shall be put out in obscure darkness” (Proverbs 20:20).

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