Sharing the Light

“Now no one after lighting a lamp covers it over with a container, or puts it under a bed; but he puts it on a lamp stand, so that those who come in may see the light.” Luke 8:16

 

As I read this verse this morning two points jumped out at me. First, the entire purpose of the lamp is to shine. No one would purchase a lamp for any other reason. If a person has a lamp in their home, they put it there for the sole reason of giving light inside the house. That’s why Jesus’ illustration is so ridiculously obvious. A lamp under a bowl makes no sense and definitely has no purpose. No one would do that.

 

The second thing I noticed this morning is that Jesus makes no mention of lamps for personal use. I use lamps for seeing in the night. Without a lamp by my bedside I couldn’t read my books or find my glasses until the sun came up. There is a definite case that lamps are needed by people in their own homes, but Jesus mentions only the fact that others will need to see the light when they visit. Of course, it’s Jesus we’re talking about here, so the omission is intentional.

 

So here are the two truths I see this morning: I am given the light of Jesus Christ for a purpose and that purpose is not merely for my personal use. I have been given great gifts through the work of Jesus Christ in my life: forgiveness, holiness, reconciliation, etc. These things are good for me, in fact without these gifts I am hopelessly lost. However, I am given these gifts not to hold and keep, but to show to the world. This is my purpose. This life I have been granted is not my own. It is God’s alone to use for His glory. My heart says this morning, “Let it be so!”

 

Lord, thank you for the light you placed in my heart. I see this morning that it is not mine to have and to hold on to. No, it is Your’s to shine for Your glory. Your purposes are my desire today. May I live in such a way that others will see Your light in me and praise You.