Verse of the Day 1/6

Matthew 5:16 (ESV) In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.

Whenever I read this passage in Matthew 5, a couple of songs come to mind.  The first one is a song that is one of the first one that little children learn "This Little Light of Mine", you know it "I'm gonna let it shine".  We won't hide it under a bushel, NO, we're gonna let is shine.

The second is my son Jeff's favorite song by the Newsboys, simply "Shine".  It is something he does every day. 

 

shine
make ´em wonder what you´ve got
make ´em wish that they were not
on the outside looking bored
shine
let it shine before all men
let´em see good works, and then
let ´em glorify the Lord

 

Sometimes we can become complacent in our faith.  It may seem like we are not shining.  The verses can be a reminder to shake us out of the doldrums and rekindle that fire, even if it is a "little light", to shine.  I read a devotional the other day in which the author offered a prayer to be "unsettled".  This unsettling can be the removal of the bushel in "this little light of mine".

 

Lysa TerKeurst wrote, "I dare you soul of mine, to notice the stark evidence of a spirit that is tainted and a heart that must be placed under the microscope of God's Word.  Yes, indeed, unsettle me Lord.

Unearth that remnant of justification.

Shake loose that pull toward compromise.

Reveal that broken shard of secrecy.

Expose that tendency to give up.

Unsettle me in the best kind of way.  For when I allow Your touch to reach the deepest part of me - dark and dingy and hidden away too long - suddenly, a fresh wind of life twists and twirls and dances through my soul..."

 

The person that is unsettled in this kind of way will shine, causing others to wonder what they've got.  Are you willing to be "unsettled" so that you may shine?

Blessings,
Mike
Follow the verse of the day at www.mikesvotd.blogspot.com

Matthew 5:13-16 (HCSB)  Believers Are Salt and Light

    ¹³ "You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt should lose its taste, how can it be made salty? It's no longer good for anything but to be thrown out and trampled on by men.

   ¹⁴ "You are the light of the world. A city situated on a hill cannot be hidden. ¹⁵ No one lights a lamp and puts it under a basket, but rather on a lampstand, and it gives light for all who are in the house. ¹⁶ In the same way, let your light shine before men, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.