“You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden.” (Matthew 5:14 NIV)
I think about this passage often. I think about what a “city on a hill” might look like to those in the valley gazing up at that hill. I think about what it means to be the light of the world to a lost and hurting humanity.
If you had asked me six or seven years ago, I would’ve told you that shining the light of Christ meant reading my Bible everyday, praying with my kids at mealtimes, going to church every Sunday and serving in some way. It was a checklist of “dos and don’ts” I followed at all costs. You know, standing up for my convictions? Add in a Facebook status with a snippet from Sunday’s sermon, and I was really on track. In a nutshell, it was like a litmus test for myself, so people could know I was a Christian. But that was the extent of it.
As I started reading the Word more, I began to realize that this wasn’t the message for which Christ gave His life. He brought us a message of hope, of righteousness through Him alone, one of peace and grace. He died to set us free from the bondage of sin; sin that included legalism and self-righteousness and a judgmental spirit. The light I was shining wasn’t covered in Grace and Truth. It wasn’t sincere or kind or peace-making. It was so much about me.
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