Let Your Light So Shine Before Men

“Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven” (Matthew 5:16 NKJV).

Have you ever wondered what it really means to “Let your light so shine before men”? I was studying Matthew 5 today and the beauty of this verse really stuck out at me, so let’s look at it together.

First, thankfully, Jesus Himself explains what it means to “Let your light so shine before men.”

This verse is part of the Sermon on the Mount, also called “the Beatitudes,” which Jesus taught to crowds of people while standing on a mountaintop as recorded in Matthew 5, 6, and 7. And in these chapters, Jesus is simply teaching us–so He explains many things clearly.

In this case, Jesus explained what it means to “Let your light so shine before men” in the second half of the verse. He said, “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven” (Matthew 5:16 NKJV). And from that, we can learn:

1. When your light shines before men, other people will see your good works.
2. That means “letting your light shine” is an action, for when you obey Jesus’ command, people will SEE that you have done something. 🙂

However, the purpose of letting your light shine is never for your own sake or your own glory.

You don’t let your light shine by telling everybody all about the good things you have done. You don’t brag or boast, for that would go against the other Scriptures that teach against pride and for humility. Bragging and boasting is never the way of the Kingdom.

Instead, you “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven“ (emphasis mine). The whole purpose of doing good works and letting your light shine is so that people will glorify God.

How can people glorify God through your good works?

Well, when we “Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ” (Galatians 6:2 NKJV), we will be inspired to act. If your friend is sad, anxious, upset, or in need, and you step in to help, you are doing a good thing that will point their thoughts and lift their eyes toward Jesus.

For example:

Maybe your friend is sad or anxious. Your heart goes out to them, and you want to help them feel better.

In that case, you meet up with them in person. You treat them to a nice meal, listen to them, encourage them, and pray with them. Your friend leaves that time with you in a whole different frame of mind, comforted and praising God for sending you to help them in time of need.

Or …

Maybe you know a young couple trying to plan a wedding without much money.

In the Kingdom spirit of bearing one another’s burdens, you want to help them.

This happened to me! When my husband and I got married, we had very little money. But a bunch of sweet, precious, kind sisters in the Lord helped us buy flowers, decorate the church, bought flowers and vases, and completely decorated the tables for the reception.

Do you have any idea how much praise we gave the Lord for all that? TONS! We had no way resources to help ourselves, but those ladies who helped us let their light shine, and we saw their good works and definitely glorified our Father who is in Heaven!

Or, maybe you know a friend who needs a coat.

Good coats are expensive, and your friend is not able to spend the money for one. So you go to the mall, find just the right coat that you know they will love, send them pictures of it to make sure they like it, and buy it for them.

You rip the price tags off so they won’t know what it cost, and then you bless them with it. You simply let them know that you were thinking of them and you thought they would look great in this coat, and it was your privilege to bless them.

No matter what your situation is, if you let your light so shine before men, your “shining” produces the light of ACTION.

Light bulbs that aren’t powered on do not produce light. Similarly, Christians who are not going about doing good works, bearing one another’s burdens, and caring for other people do not produce light either.

When was the last time you took specific, effective action to take care of someone else and do a good work?

Maybe it was yesterday. Maybe good works are your bread and butter; maybe giving to people and taking care of other people makes you happier than anything, and you do it all the time. That’s great, if so.

But maybe …

Maybe it’s been a while.

Maybe you’ve been navel-gazing (one of my worst habits that I’ve gotten so much better at NOT doing, but still fall into it sometimes). Maybe you’ve been so busy feeling sorry for yourself that you haven’t lifted your eyes to help anyone else, let alone “lifting your eyes to the hills” and looking at the Lord.

Maybe your needs have been all-consuming, so you haven’t felt like you have anything to offer anyone else.

But oh, beloved, if only you could see. I pray you will see.

Because lifting up your eyes and doing good works for others is how you start feeling better … for so many reasons.

When you do something good for others, you immediately insert yourself into the great circle of giving. When you give, it comes back to you–good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over. Even if you’re giving of your time, giving encouragement, giving help or companionship … all of it comes back to you.

And lifting your focus to Jesus and others takes your mind off yourself, suddenly making your own problems diminish in size as Jesus fills your horizon instead.

“Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven” (Matthew 5:16 NKJV).

Beloved, when you let your light so shine before men, it means you DO something to bless others. You do good works.

And when you do good works, you meet people’s needs–needs they have been praying for; needs they have been agonizing about–and they will glorify your Father in Heaven.

This is a healing cycle for both you and others. But it does require you to proactively stand up and let your light shine by doing good works.

Will you accept Jesus’ teaching? Will you begin today to let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven?

Leave a comment below if so!