This Little Light of Mine

There is an old song called "This Little Light of Mine." It is a children's song about always letting the light of Christ shine through us. But this is more than just a simple song. It is a profound truth that is rooted in God's Word. In Matthew 5:14, Jesus tells us: "You are the light of the world."

Jesus was not sharing a new teaching. He did not come to destroy the Law, but to fulfill it. God the Father told us what the laws are; God the Son explained them. The picture of an eternal light sinning forth for all men to see had already been symbolically represented in Leviticus 6:8-13. Thomas Watson writes, "In the temple the fire was not to go out by night. ['The fire must be kept burning on the altar continously'] (Lev. 6:13. There was, says Cyril, a mystery in it, to show that we must be ever burning in holy affections and desires."

While we are commended to shine brightly, it is important to remember that we are just lamps; God is the light. Lamps house sources of light, but they are not the sources themselves. In this same way, we can point people towards the gift of God's salvation and the grace He pours forth, but we ourselves are not that gift. Furthermore, it is only through God's mercy that we are enable to do this. Do not take God's forgiveness lightly. Through God's mercy we were forgiven, and this mercy now enables us to share His glory. Mercy is never required; it is always undeserved. We first had to experience mercy ourselves before we could go out and show the world.

Living Life