This little light of mine, I’m going to let it shine… Singing those words as a young child, without purview of the darkness and pressures of the world, reminds me of the innocence and boldness I declared so long ago blissfully singing to be a bright light for Jesus.
As an adult, and realizing the desperation our world needs in a Savior, shining for Jesus is no longer saturated in innocence. I’ve grown to be fully convinced that Jesus’ light is exactly the salvation our broken world needs. Time has woven a longing to share Jesus’ light and the Holy Spirit has fueled it by God’s overwelming love for us.
Today, I’d like to extend an invitation to accept the great privilege and responsibility of shining for Jesus and boldly shining His Light into the darkness!
Shining for Jesus
When it comes to shining for Jesus we have the same charge Paul gave to believers. It’s interesting to me that our world isn’t that much different from Paul’s time when he describes a world full of crooked and perverse people.
Do everything without complaining and arguing, so that no one can criticize you. Live clean, innocent lives as children of God, shining like bright lights in a world full of crooked and perverse people. Hold firmly to the word of life; then, on the day of Christ’s return, I will be proud that I did not run the race in vain and that my work was not useless. Philippians 4:16-18
The call is clear: shine like bright lights in a broken world.
How can I be a light for Jesus?
How can I shine for Jesus? To be a light for Jesus, we must be captivated by Him and the finished work of the cross. As we grow to know him more each day, we grow in our commitment to live for Christ and shine for him. The first half of this post shares our pursuit of him – to be grounded – and the second half shares ways to shine as his example.
Shine for Jesus – Hold Firmly Philippians 2:16
To be lights in the world and shine for Jesus, we need to hold firmly to the word of life. Saturate ourselves in studying Jesus and his nature. Seek to follow his example and servant attitude. Spend time daily in the bible, drawing near to God.
Then, we can hold firmly knowing the Light of the world.
Related: Best Women’s Devotionals
Shine for Jesus – Armor Up Romans 13:12
Christ’s return is imminent and now is the time for believers to “put on the shining armor of right living.” Rom. 13:12 Our citizenship is heaven and we are meant to live as citizens of heaven. Too often we fall for the ploys and distractions of the world to mold our behaviors and attitudes.
Christ our Lord has covered us with his righteousness. Let our lives reflect this blessing of freedom and live intentionally in pursuit of him.
Related: Who Am I in Christ?
Shine for Jesus – Put into Practice Philippians 4:9, James 1:21-22
Shining for Jesus is putting into practice what we claim to profess. It’s living out, through faith, what God’s word declares.
Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. James 1:22
Our inheritance includes the help and power of the Holy Spirit to walk out and put into practice God’s word. Praise God that He provides a way to live out all that He asks of us!
Shine for Jesus – Reflect the Source
In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven. Matthew 5:16
We all have a tendency to desire credit, recognition, and praise for _____ (fill in the blank). But we are meant to reflect Christ and our aim should be to bring HIM glory, not glory for ourselves.
What the bible says about letting your light shine?
As believers, we are meant to be beacons of light to a dark world. Jesus’ light within us is to shine brightly to those that live under our roof, those we work with, whomever we encounter in our day, and within relationships that we have with others.
Matthew 5:14-16 tells us:
“You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.
If we are quiet about God’s truth, or one with the world, or turning a blind eye to the suffering around us, how will Jesus’ light shine?
Below, I will share 5 Ways to Shine for Jesus in your day-to-day.
Shining for Jesus Today
So what does shining for Jesus each day actually look like? The items listed below are just a few ways to put your faith into practice and shine brightly for Christ.
Shining for Jesus – Forgiveness
One way to let your light shine each day is to both accept forgiveness for your sins and extend forgiveness to others. Jesus offers us total and complete forgiveness but many times we struggle to completely accept it or allow ourselves to be burdened by the guilt of our sins.
As believers, we are fully liberated and forgiven! Shine for Jesus by walking in this forgiveness and extending forgiveness to others.
Related: Do you know God’s forgiveness?
Shining for Jesus – Showing Mercy
Micah 6:8 tells us, “and this is what he requires of you; to do what is right, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.”
Shining for Jesus means loving mercy and showing it to others. Do you show mercy to those that wrong you?
I recently had an encounter with someone that blatantly wronged me. Over and over through God’s word and prayer, I felt the charge to extend mercy. To be honest, I fought it like crazy because the fact was, they didn’t “deserve mercy”.
Through a major heart lesson, I was reminded that I didn’t deserve the mercy God extended and continues to extend to me. Showing mercy isn’t natural for us but when we are surrendered to Jesus, and allow his mercy and forgiving grace to flow through us, what an encounter!
Shining for Jesus – Loving Others
When we are mindful of the love God continually extends to us, we are much more willing to show love to others and shine for Jesus in this way. If we are intent on being beacons of light, showing love to others wells up inside us because of God’s love towards us.
Shining for Jesus – Putting Others First
Spend any amount of time in Philippians 2 and the attitude of Christ when you struggle with putting others first. The humility of Jesus is on full display through these passages. We shine when we reflect his humility in our daily life and seek to put others before ourselves.
Shining for Jesus – Praying for Others
I can only fathom the power and extent of prayers when we pray for others. Jesus modeled praying to our Heavenly Father and praying is just another way to shine for Jesus.
Take the time daily to pray for believers to boldly shine for Jesus and to finish the race strong. Pray for non-believers to be placed upon your path and soften by the light of Jesus shining within you.
Related: Weekly Prayer Schedule
Keep Shining for Jesus
As we come together and shine brightly for Jesus, imagine the wildfire of His power shining throughout the world! A true sight to behold! May you be a beacon of hope and encouragement to all you encounter as you daily pursue shining for Jesus!