Does Jesus’ Light Shine Through You?
“The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are good, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eyes are bad your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness!”
~Jesus
Matthew 6:22-23
I used to be a Christian who watched and listened to just about everything. I wasn’t going to be known as one of those stiff, prude, religious people—NO WAY! Nobody likes those people anyway, except for other religious people. And then all they do is get together to compare their levels of legalism to one another. Count me out.
So because of my refusal to filter out the stuff which I regularly watched and listened to—as well as my blatant stonewalling to think twice about the places I frequented—I always felt as if something wasn’t quite right. I couldn’t quite put my thumb on it, but there was an uneasiness in my soul.
The opening verse of this devotional explains this uneasiness perfectly. Now, in context, He’s explaining the identity of Mosaic legalists, but we can still glean from it for today’s point. When I was living against my identity, Jesus still dwelled in my spirit; but because I was constantly allowing my body to watch things juxtaposed to us, and I frequented places which were not beneficial, a conflict was happening in my mind.
Jesus tells us why we have that “wrong” feeling, it’s because we’re allowing darkness into our minds. Even when it seems as if we’re not doing anything too bad or too harmful, He still calls it darkness. If we have darkness in our minds, we should want Him to remove it! The good news is He will by renewing our minds! (See Romans 12:2). Even better news, He still loves us unconditionally as our minds are being changed.
With God, it’s not, “Do whatever, I’ve got your back.” No, it’s, “Please listen to me. I love you and I know what’s best for you. I want my light to be reflected by you.” This is why it matters so much that we observe very closely what we regularly watch, what consistently entertains us, and where we spend a lot of time. It’s very important for the good health of our thoughts!
It’s vital to be on the lookout for “what and who” we constantly listen to–or read–because we’re always subconsciously filling up our minds. We’re consistently–and most of the time, unknowingly–training ourselves on how to react to people, unfair situations, success, disappointments, as well as how we see the entire world around us.
This is why we must choose to see the world how Christ sees it! Even though He lives in us as believers, we can still muffle Him. How? By filling up our heads with bad stuff instead of good stuff! By ignoring His loving guidance which is trying to pull us away from bad stuff!
Friend, not only do we have to pay attention to what and who we are paying attention to, but we must also pay attention to the environments in which we place ourselves on a regular basis. Keeping our soul strong requires us to observe our surroundings and make good choices. And no, I’m not just talking about bars, nightclubs, and parties, I’m talking about attending unloving, graceless, dead works churches. Mostly non-viewable sin is dominant in such places, but sin is still the same. So we must remember it goes both ways.
There are lots of saved people who go to bars every single day, and there are lots of unsaved people who go to church each time the doors are opened. The grace-confused, church-obsessed people don’t get a free pass here, and neither do those who need their minds renewed from bar-hopping, drug addictions, and improper sexual practices.
For this reason, any place we go, we must ask ourselves, “Am I impacting this environment in a positive way for Jesus?” or “Am I allowing this environment to cover up the light of Christ in me?” We have to be environmentally-conscious as Christ-possessed people. Everything we do and every place we go, it’s imperative to be led by the Holy Spirit!
So today, my friends, know this: Jesus said, “You are the light of the world!” (See Matthew 5:14). Again, in context, He was speaking to the Jews, but on this side of the Cross, Christ lives in you and reflects Himself through you! So it’s our honor to shine! Shine, shine, shine baby! Darkness has no power over light! All darkness really is, is the absence of light! So be yourself today! Let’s goooooooooo!
A prayer for you: Good morning, Lord! What an absolutely gorgeous morning you’ve given me! The cardinals are outside my window here, they are so bright-red and beautiful, thank you for them! And thank you for the light of Christ in me! Right now, I lift up all who are reading this, directly to you. I pray that you begin to help them discern what they should and shouldn’t be watching or listening to. Protect them from darkness! I also pray that you give them wisdom about the places they frequent–where to go and where not to go. Help them understand you’re not looking to make any law out of this, but instead, you simply want them to be guided by your Holy Spirit in all of their decisions. We love you. Amen.
This devotional is from 60 Days for Jesus, Volume 1. Get your copy here!