Episode #177: This Little Light of Mine
And he was saying to them, “A lamp is not brought to be put under a basket, is it, or under a bed? Is it not brought to be put on the lampstand? For nothing is hidden except to be revealed; nor has anything been secret, but that it would come to light. If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear.” Mark 4:21-23
There was a song we used to sing in Sunday school based on this parable. “This little light of mine, I’m gonna let it shine” and “Won’t let Satan blow it out. No! I’m gonna let it shine.” These were some of the lyrics to this kid’s song. It had cute little hand movements for the children to learn and perform for the parents. But, once we got a little older, we stopped singing that song. Maybe we outgrew the cute little hand movements or the lyrics were just too young and simple for us. Maybe it was that as we grew up, we realized it would take a lot more than a cute little song to keep our light shining in this world.
These verses are coming off the parable of the sower and the seed. This is no literary accident. Soil is at it’s best when it is being used for the purpose of cultivating seed and producing a crop. Otherwise, it’s just pointless dirt. Just like the soil has a purpose, so de we as Christians. When we allow the seed of God’s word to be cultivated in us, we begin to produce the fruit of the spirit; love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. These are not meant to be cultivated for us to hold on to. They are meant to overflow from us to those around us.
Jesus calls us to be light in the world. This is His light shining through us to others. As we allow His light to shine through us and be the lamp that lights our path, we illuminate the world around us. The presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives is to serve as a means to guide others out of darkness. We cannot purposely hide this light or allow it to be covered up. We must let it do the work if driving out darkness. In his commentary on these verses, Matthew Henry says, “Those who are lighted as candles, should set themselves on a candlestick; that is, should improve all opportunities of doing good, as those that were made for the glory of God, and the service of the communities they are members of; we are not born for ourselves.”
Verse 6 of the 23rd Psalm says, “surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all he days of my life.” The operative phrase in that sentence is, “shall follow me”. It means, as we follow the Shepherd, we don’t simply receive goodness and mercy, but the areas where were obedient to follow the shepherd have received goodness and mercy as well. The light in or lives are meant to shine to help others see, not to blind them. The fruit of our lives is meant to provide goodness and mercy to those in our communities.
Let us be a people who let our little lights shine! Let us be a lamp unto our communities and a source of goodness and mercy to all who cross our path in this life.
Love Y’all! Be Blessed!
Let Us Be A People 