“No man, when he hath lighted a candle, putteth it in a secret place, neither under a bushel, but on a candlestick, that they which come in may see the light.” (Lu 11:33 AV)
No matter the source of light, it is meant to be shown. No one would buy a light only to leave it in the closet, unopened and unused. The implication from our LORD is that it is natural to let a light shine and in context, it is the light of the gospel which has come into the heart and life of a lost soul. Several things to note here before we look more closely at what the Spirit has impressed today. Note, first, the candle possessor has lit the candle. This was not something forced upon him. The source of the flame is outside of himself. The fuel for the flame he does not naturally possess. Yet, he is the one that lights the candle. Speaking of salvation, there is a choice we make. That choice is to trust Jesus Christ. That is the extent of our participation in the process of salvation. It is all up to what Jesus did on the cross of Calvary. Salvation requires a freewill choice on our part. We choose to take the flame of salvation and allow it to burn in our lives. Having made that conscience decision, it then becomes natural to let the light shine. Why else would the flame be lit? That is our thought for the day. If we take salvation into our hearts, why wouldn’t we allow it to change others?
Sitting on my clothes dryer is a new exhaust fan and light for the bathroom. We are upgrading. The fan has a duel light option. There is a regular light and a night light. That fascinates me in the sense of how that night light will work with only one switch to operate the light. I know nothing about installing this light. If I do it, there will be a major construction project involved. If I try to install it, we will be rebuilding the entire house around the damage that I would cause. So, it sits there, in a box, until my associate pastor has time to install it. The bathroom is one place where light might be optional. In the middle of the night when one needs to make a quick trip to the bathroom and right back to bed one goes, the light may not be necessary. Ambient light from the hallway will do just fine. But if I am in there for any extended period of time, light is an absolute necessity. I need that light. Trying to function without it would be impossible. My guests need that light. It wouldn’t be right to send them up to use the facilities without one. It would be rather odd to buy a light for the bathroom and leave it in the box. I could brag about how good of a deal I got. I could point out the features of the light. I could even boast of how we saved money by getting only that which I needed. We could marvel at how it will match the décor perfectly. But as long as it remains in the box, it serves no purpose. A light is meant to be used and shown. It is meant to function for the needs and pleasures of others. This is natural. To do otherwise would be abnormal.
Which brings us to another thought. Why is it that we do not let our light shine? Jesus gives the answer clearly. If darkness is allowed to be a stronger influence than light, the light will not be noticed. Imagine I bought a lamp. I put a rather large bulb in it. I plugged it in but instead of placing it in an area where it would shine the most light, I put it in an alcove in the corner of a room. The lamp burned brightly. But it only illuminated a small area. I would allow darkness to dominate the light. The more light we put in, Jesus says, the more light that will shine out. If our light is not a bright beacon of hope in the gospel of Jesus Christ, it is because darkness still dominates in our hearts and souls. If we want the light of the gospel to shine forth, then we must feed our souls with the light of God’s word. The light of His truth and presence must dominate our every waking moment for the light to shine on others. To do otherwise is to do something unnatural.
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