Let others see Christ in You
Our text is from Matthew 5 verses 15 and 16 (Common English Bible).
“Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a basket. Instead, they put it on top of a lamp-stand, and it shines on all who are in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before people, so they can see the good things you do and praise your Father who is in heaven”.
Learned people often say that “when the students are ready, the teacher will appear”. In Matthew 5, Jesus saw a crowd, and He went to teach them. Instinctively, He did not wait to be told that He needed to shed light into their darkness. He needed them to “See” themselves like God sees them, and to “Act” like God expected them to act. He told them, “You are the Salt”, and “You are the light” of the world. “You are a city on top of a hill which cannot be hidden.” Nobody lights a candle and places it under his bed. He said, “People light a candle and put it on a lamp-stand, so that it can be seen, and that everyone in the house can be guided”. Being the “salt” means there must be a lot of unsavory challenges in the world. Being the “light” means there must be plenty darkness around us. When a candle is lit, it provides guidance, like a Road Map, so that people will not miss their way.
In your role, as the “light”, people around you will not slip and fall, or make mistakes that will make them regret bitterly. Even if they do slip, they will recognize their mistake, and by the “light” of your guidance, they will seek God’s solutions to correct their mistakes. By the humility of the “light” you provide, people around you will blossom into “that place” that God created for them. They will be able to “give glory to God” who made them. The truth is that the world is watching you. They have stories to tell about you. They know the lies you tell, your gossiping nature, your unfaithfulness, your evil-minded drama. They remember inaccuracies in your presentation of yourself, your colleagues, contemporaries, your superiors, and others around you.
When you look at a picture, you may or may not recognize the person in it. How you portray yourself will give people an indication of how you represent your Christ. They can only consider your words, actions and interactions. You are the picture of Christ they see. No matter what you do, you will always leave an impression on others, for good or bad. . The watching world needs to "see Christ in you” because that is the only “hope” they have, of God’s glory and goodness. You may be a Christian of many years. Maybe you are even a Sunday school Teacher, a Pastor, and Evangelist, a Prophet, an Elder, or you say you believe in Christ. Can people outside the church recognize Christ in you? Nobody has ever seen God, but they see you, who call yourself a “representative” of Christ. Can they match your humility, self-sacrifice, compassion, empathy, and your love for God and others, with what they should know about Jesus? The world needs our preserving influence, and also need to see the light of Christ shining through us. You may be the only Bible some people will ever read. Verse 13 says “if salt loses its saltiness” it becomes “good for nothing, except to be discarded, and trampled under people’s feet”. Let us value the spirit of God in others, and humbly love one another. May God showcase Himself through us in all our ways, so that we may be the light which shines through the darkness of this world. Amen.
