Devotions for 10-23-24
Matthew 5:14 “Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand and it gives light to all in the house.”
It is getting darker out early now that summer is over and fall is in full swing. The sun is rising later in the morning and setting sooner in the evening. Pretty soon, it will be winter and dark for much of the time, at least this far north of the equator.
Actually, I love the change of the seasons and that we have four distinct seasons. I know that many people live year-round in summer, but farther from the equator, we get the blessing of having winter, spring, summer and fall. Each season has something beautiful in it, each one is a gift from God.
The seasons with longer and earlier nights gives us a vivid understand of the meaning behind this verse from Jesus in His Sermon on the Mount. Jesus is talking about light shining in the darkness.
What Jesus is saying is that when it is dark outside, or in our homes at night, we light a lamp. In their day they would light an lamp filled with olive oil, and it would provide light for the room. If the room was large, you would have several lamps around the room so that there would be plenty of light.
When I was in Jerusalem, I saw antique oil lamps that were used for lamps before electricity was invented, some used in the time of Jesus. They were simple lamps, but very effective. The oil was in a basin and a wick was laid in the oil that led to the rim of the lamp and when lit, it would give off light for hours.
Jesus compares the lamps that everyone used back then to our lives. Jesus in saying that in some ways, we are lamps in a dark world. Our lives are those light-giving lamps to people living in a world darkened by sin and evil.
It doesn’t take much to see the darkness around us. Just listen to the news for a short period of time and you will hear of all sorts of evil things that happen around us. If you were to be in a place where war is raging, it is even easier to see the darkness of human sin and evil.
But here is the thing about lamps and today’s electric lights. The darker it is outside; the brighter the lights appear. It is said that a single candle, where there are no other lights, is visible on a night with no moon, over a mile and a half away with normal vision.
So, what is the point Jesus is trying to make with this teaching? He sums it up in verse 16, “let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your father who is in heaven.”
With the Holy Spirit in us (the oil in the lamp), God is able to use us to touch others around us through the good works He leads us to do. We cannot do those good works without God, but with God in us, we are able to do good works in this world that will touch other people and draw them closer to God. We are able to be the light set on a hill for all to see and be attracted to.
We are not the light, but God living is us is the light and if we will let Him lead us in our life, we can be the oil lamp in the house or together as believers, the bright shining city on the hill that attracts many people to it.
God created us to do good works. We cannot do them without God, but with God in us, and with our being willing to be used by God, we can live in such a way that others see Jesus in us. Let us pray that the Lord can make us a light to those around us and draw them to Him, especially as winter draws near.
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