Every Light In The House Is On

“And you, beloved, are the light of the world.  A city built on a hilltop cannot be hidden.  Similarly, it would be silly to light a lamp and then hide it under a bowl.  When someone lights a lamp, she puts it on a table or a desk or a chair, and the light illumines the entire house.  You are like the illuminating light. Let your light shine everywhere you go, that you may illumine creation so men and women everywhere may see your good actions, may see creation at its fullest, may see your devotion to Me, and may turn and praise your Father in heaven because of it.”  Matthew 5:14-16 (Voice)

I wonder if the song “Every light in the house” by Trace Adkins is the most sung song by all the frustrated dads in America? I grew up in a house with seven people in it, and there was always a light on somewhere. It seemed like my dad was continually hollering about how he didn’t work for the electric company!

But God has called us to shine, to leave our lights on. In this verse, Jesus gives us four ways to shine our light.

• Be a light to the world.
• Be a city on a hill.
• Be a lamp on a stand.
• Be a light.

God has created us to be that light to the entire world.  We were made to illuminate the very nature of God.  We were designed to bring lightness into the darkness.  We are not to hide our light under a bush, but to let it shine.

A city on a hill cannot hide; its light is meant to be seen for miles. The use of the word city here illustrates God’s desire for us to use a community to create a light that is bright enough to be seen for miles. As a community of believers, we can become a beacon of truth to a hurting world.

We hide our light when we don’t speak up for those without a voice. We hide our light when we go along with the crowd and don’t stand up for our beliefs.  We hide our light from the world when ignoring the needs of others and focusing on ourselves. By putting our lamp on a stand, we are fighting injustices,  allowing God’s light to spill out into the dark corners of the world and bringing kindness to others.

In the wise words of Martin Luther King: “Darkness cannot drive out darkness, only light can do that.” So today, let’s be a beacon of truth and not shut our light off from the rest of the world.

What is one thing you can do today to shine your light to benefit someone else?

Heavenly Father, we bath in the light of your creation.  Just like a city on a hill cannot be hidden, we don’t want to hide our light from the world either.  I pray that I can, along with my community of believers, find ways to shine your light into the darkness of despair and bring hope to others.  Bless our efforts and never let us turn off our lights.  Lord, hear my prayers.  Amen