Sunday Devotional: Psalm 119:105 & Matthew 5:14,16



"The thing about light is that is doesn’t come from us. It’s God in us that provides the light to the world. So if you want to be a light to her, you’d better make sure that light is shining in you first." - Darek Christiansen, Always On My Mind by Susan May Warren.
(Please note, this quote is taken from an ARC and may appear different in the final edition.)

I read this quote and it just stuck with me. With work and coming in contact with so many people on a daily basis, I’ve been struggling with how to be a light to them.  "How do I show them Him?" has been my question for weeks now.  I looked up the word "light" in the Bible, because it is used several times in the quote, and it seemed as good a place as any to start.
Here are a couple verses I found:

“Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.” - Psalm 119:105

“You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden.” - Matthew 5:14

So, we have what sounds like two examples of light here.  God's and ours.   But according to the quote, it’s all God’s. It’s God that lights our way and He puts the light in us. We can’t take any credit for it, because the light doesn’t come from us. When Jesus said we are to be “the light of the world,” He also said that it is so the Lord would be praised (Matthew 5:16, paraphrased).

Have you ever been in the dark for a while? When the light is turned on, you tend flinch away from it until your eyes have time to adjust. It is uncomfortable.  I think the same is true for unbelievers.   They have been living in a spiritual darkness and when they first experience God’s light in any form, it’s uncomfortable, so they have a tendency to keep their distance.  But the thing about light is that it draws us, like a moth to a flame, to be cliche. But God’s light, unlike that flame, doesn’t devour us. Instead, it consumes and refines us, to make us more like Him.

So, how do we make sure that God’s light is shining in us? I know it sounds simplistic, but the answer I’ve found is to spend time with Him. When we pray, study His Word, take time to really listen and just be still, we become more like Him and His light naturally shines through us.

Father, please continue to guide me throughout the coming days and help me to be a light to a world lost in darkness.  Amen.