Shine.

The world is a dark place. 

It always has been, and it continues to be so. This is why people cling to "good" moments when they see good deeds happen. We actively publicize "random acts of kindness" we encounter in our daily lives, and always seek to give credit to those who still have some semblance of decency and humanity in them. 

We cannot get enough of the small nuggets of goodness we encounter, as we try and try to blot out the glaring evil that seems to overwhelm us, that appears to sustain longer than any good deed ever could. 

Christians have been named the light of the world. It is in us now to shine light. We too were once a "people walking in darkness," (Isaiah 9:2) but now that we have encountered "the great light," who is Christ, we have been given that light to shine before the world. We have been given hope to shine before men. 

"12 Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”" (John 8:12)

14 “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 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. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that[a] they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven. (Matthew 5:14-16) 

What is the light? That light is Christ - the living word of God in human form. The truth. Jesus Christ is truth. He is the promise of holiness; the promise of reconciliation, salvation and eternal life - that is, to know God and enjoy Him forever. 

We have been given truth, and truth abides in us, if we abide in Christ and establish ourselves in it continually. With truth comes responsibility. 

"God didn't make us Christians for kicks." my friend expressed to me yesterday. We have a responsibility to let our light shine, that people may see our good deeds and be witness to the goodness and character of God.

And these "good deeds" are not "good" as the world defines them. These good deeds, as I know them, I will define as acts carried out in obedience to the will of God. That is the standard of goodness, God's will. For nothing we do apart from Him can ever be truly "good", for the standard is remarkably and unattainably high. 

The truth that Christians shine is the hope that in Christ we may be reconciled to God. We are able to be clothed in His righteousness, whereas before we could not even hope to come before a perfect God. God so loves, and so He made a way. 

Suffering and pain, trials and loss are the real things of this life and this world. But Christians hold the view that this life is not the be all and end all. We hold that we do not go to dust, and life is not some purposeless, meaningless body of years in which the standard for living is "my personal happiness level". The trials and painful tribulations of this world only serve to shape us to be like Christ, and to draw us close to the one who made us, and loves us. A life with God at the end of it all truly makes it so that life's troubles and pains were not in vain. 

The purpose of living for a Christian is to be in that reconciled relationship with God. It is to live life by the Spirit of God, in holiness and righteousness, not for the sake of being better than anyone else, or for any personal gain, but simply because of a love for God and a desire for Him.

Christians have the responsibility to live out this light - to extend this truth, by living lives that exemplify Jesus Christ in them, by living in obedience. 

We are ambassadors of hope. The fact of the matter is that the truth in us is exceedingly bright in contrast to the hopeless of the world around us, so let it shine out.