Let it Shine

Romans 13:14

New International Version (NIV)

Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the flesh.

Side note:  In contexts like this, the Greek word for flesh (sarx) refers to the sinful state of human beings, often presented as a power in opposition to the Spirit.

In Sunday school, when I was a little kid, I remember singing a song called "This Little Light of Mine."  I'm sure most of you may recognize it if you heard it. The second verse went something like this: "Hide it under a bushel? No! I'm going to let it shine." This song is talking about how Jesus is the light of the world, and we want to let his light shine through us for the world to see. I remember hearing that song thinking, "Why would I ever hide Jesus under a bushel?"

Today at the church I've been visiting, the pastor talked about how we often want to "check Jesus at the door."  If we're being honest with ourselves, it's usually not very "cool" to behave like a Christian at social events. Therefore, we keep the "Jesus time" limited to Sunday mornings, and every other day of the week, we don't bother with him. In a sense, we are hiding our light under a bushel, just like our little Sunday school song warned us about.

We are not meant to hide like that, though.  2 Thessalonians 2:15 tells us, "So then, brothers and sisters, stand firm and hold fast to the teachings we passed on to you, whether by word of mouth or by letter." Whether it's socially acceptable or not, we are to stand firm in our faith, and to clothe ourselves with Jesus Christ, putting on his qualities and characteristics every day.  Some people might not get it; they'll think you're crazy for living your life in away that reflects God's will for us.  Some people may even pursecute you for it. Either way, we are not to let them get to us; the only opinion that should matter to the followers of Jesus Christ is Jesus Christ's.

One common misconception that so many people believe is that if we actually take Jesus with us wherever we go, so to speak, than we will never have any fun. I found this link, however, that tells us that the opposite is true. "God meant for believers to have fun and celebrate. There are a number of examples throughout the Bible of great celebrations. David danced. The Jews celebrated upon their exodus from Egypt. Jesus turned water into wine at a wedding celebration. God meant for believers to celebrate and have fun because celebrations lift the spirit. He wants Christian teens and adults to have fun so they can see the beauty and meaning in the life He gave to us."  I mean, see Matthew 25:21, or 2 Samuel 6:14-15! It's not fun that we're against, but sin. When the fun becomes sinful, that's where we have to draw the line.

I remember when I was little, there was a huge fad in Christian clothing where everyone wore "WWJD" bracelets or T-shirts.  WWJD stood for "What Would Jesus Do?" The whole concept was to ask yourself before every decision you make if your choice is something Jesus would choose to do if he was in your place. In order to clothe ourselves with Jesus Christ, we need to keep that mentality of WWJD every single day.  Is this something that would please God? Are my thoughts, actions, and speech adequately reflecting His will?

In Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis, we can read about something called "a moral law." Everyone talks about what's "right" and what's "wrong," but where do they get this concept of right and wrong from? In order for there to be a "right" and wrong," there has to be some sort of moral code that tells us what's "right" and "wrong." In order for there to be a moral code, there has to be a creater of the moral code. As far as we know, humans have always had a feeling of what's right and what's wrong since the world began, so the only logical conclusion is that there is a being larger than us who created this moral code and inscribed it upon our hearts and our minds, so that we can all have a fairly similar understanding of "right" and "wrong."

When we understand that God is the one who gave us the feeling of what's right and what's wrong, we can realize that He desperately wants us to do what's right.  The best example we have ever been given of "right" in all of history is when He came to earth Himself as Jesus Christ to show us what true righteousness is. Now that we have seen what's right, we are to do it; we are to be like Christ every day in every way possible. Socially acceptable or not.

Therefore, do not "check Jesus at the door," but take his spirit with you everywhere you go.  Let his light shine through you, even when we feel pressured into hiding it from the world.  God inscribed His moral law upon our hearts so that we can choose right and reflect Jesus Christ in all that we do.

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