james bruce mcnaughton

I’m gonna let it shine . . .

14“You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden;
15nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house.
16“Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.

Matthew 5:14–16 (NASB95)

Hide it under a bushel, No! I’m gonna let it shine . . .

Harry Dixon Loes

I don’t have a choice of shining my light or not. I’m on a hill, I can’t be hidden. I don’t have a choice to be under a basket, God put me on a lampstand. The only choice I have is the “way” I let my light shine, do people see my good works and know their Father in Heaven is Good and Loves Them?

This is very sobering.

I fail daily. And Jesus forgave all my sins past, present and future when He died for me (and yours as well). But how much forgiveness is in others’ reserves? And do I grant to others the mercy that I want, and desperately need, from them?

And Jesus’ light is more than forgiveness. He gave my dead spirit Life! so I can love like He does. The only question is . . .

Will I?

How do you win someone over? How does God do it?

Or do you think lightly of the riches of His kindness and tolerance and patience, not knowing that the kindness of God leads you to repentance?

Romans 2:4 (NASB95)

God is not a nit picking tyrant ready to smack us for doing anything wrong. He is kind, loving, patient, and tolerant. He demonstrates that the best way to win someone over is to be kind. He is quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry (Book of James in the Bible) and he asks us to do the same. To influence others you have to be willing to let them influence you (Stephen R. Covey, 7 Habits of Highly Effective People). When you truly listen (when they say you present their view back to them better than they presented it to you) you communicate respect for them, that you value them and you begin to build trust. And trust, once earned, smooths the road of communication of infinite obstacles, and is the foundation of cooperation and synergy (finding the third alternative that is better than either of you could think of on your own).

Jesus notices the Poor Widow

Mark 12:41–44 (NASB95)
41 And He sat down opposite the treasury, and began observing how the people were putting money into the treasury; and many rich people were putting in large sums.
42 A poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, which amount to a cent.
43 Calling His disciples to Him, He said to them, “Truly I say to you, this poor widow put in more than all the contributors to the treasury;
44 for they all put in out of their surplus, but she, out of her poverty, put in all she owned, all she had to live on.”

I don’t think this is about sacrificial giving. I think this is about dependence, trust, and relationship. The widow did not have Social Security or a retirement plan; she had nothing. Her dependence on God had developed trust in Him and facilitated an ever closer relationship with Him. Giving her last cent to God was saying: “God, I give away my last money to you as my way of saying I am totally dependent on You, I trust You more than money, I love You.”

This is what I think Jesus thought was significant, not what percentage of your disposable and essential income you give. When I am making my daily decisions, and I make my decisions based on my relationship with God and what He wants and not what money dictates; I will have learned this lesson.

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