This Little Light of Mine

Philippians 2:15 – “That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world;”

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

Christ’s followers illuminated by His Word and Spirit are to be reflectors of His light and truth to a world that is lost in the darkness of sin (Eph. 5:8). Often our children sing the chorus, “This little light of mine, I’m gonna let it shine!” Certainly in an age filled with the gloom of despair and the shadows of increasing peril, we cannot be “blameless” if we fail to do all within our power to shed abroad the grace and sunshine of the Savior’s love to others.

A. B. Simpson tells of a ship that was driven by a winter storm onto the rocks near the coast of Maine. The boat went to pieces so quickly that the crew barely had time to launch their lifeboat and push off from the sinking wreck. Blinded by flying snow, the men had no idea in which direction they should guide their wildly plunging craft. Nearly exhausted, they finally saw a small light glimmering in the distance. With renewed courage the sailors grasped the oars and pulled for the shore until they reached a quiet cove between Cape Newagan and a small neighboring island. They discovered later that a woman caring for her invalid husband had looked out unto the storm, and seeing only broken darkness along the treacherous coast, had set her tiny lamp in the window. Her simple act of pity and concern for souls who might be adrift upon the deep had guided the shipwrecked seamen to the safety of the harbor.

In the murky blackness of sin’s night, “Let your light so shine….”