Happy Sabbath, friends!

I sincerely apologize for the lack of blog posts these past couple of Sabbaths. I have had quite a bit going on recently, including preparing for my sermon which took place on May 30th. If you visit the contact page of my blog and submit a request for the sermon link, I would be delighted to send it to you. Simply send me a message, and I will respond at my earliest convenience with the recording.

Life in general also became quite busy, and I only wanted to publish a message that was not rushed, but truly centered on the Lord and His Word. In honor of the sermon I preached a couple of Sabbaths ago, I wanted to focus today’s message on the same topic. I am writing this two weeks later, so the Lord may lead me in a slightly different direction, but we are all along for the ride with Jesus Christ as our driver.

Why This Message Matters

To begin, I wanted to share why “This Little Light of Mine” stood out to me so deeply.

There were numerous reasons mentioned during my sermon that influenced me, but the one that stood out most was reflecting on my own life. I have often found myself dimming my light because of a person, a situation, or even an environment. Sometimes it was because I wanted to fit in. Other times, it was because I wanted to feel loved and accepted.

These are normal human responses that I am sure many of those reading this message can relate to in some way.

But our Heavenly Father does not want us to fit in…we are already loved and accepted by Him long before we were even born.

Our God did not send us here to blend in with the world, but to stand apart and shine brightly for Him.

Romans 12:2 (NIV)
“Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.”

Philippians 2:15 (NIV)
“so that you may become blameless and pure, “children of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation.” Then you will shine among them like stars in the sky”

Called To Shine

Jesus calls us the light of the world.

The purpose given to us by our Heavenly Father was never to dim our light — in fact, that is exactly what the enemy wants.

The enemy knows that our purpose is to shine and reflect Christ. Because of this, Satan will do everything he can to distract us, discourage us, and dim the light God has placed within us.

Matthew 5:14-16 (NIV)
““You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.”

The Source Of Our Light

God created us to shine our light in a world filled with darkness, but the question is…where does our light come from?

Our light is not a feeling, nor is it something we can obtain from this world. The only source of light we have comes from our Heavenly Father.

As mentioned previously, we are powered by the Holy Spirit. Without God in our lives, we have no light to shine.

2 Samuel 22:29 (NIV)
“You, Lord, are my lamp; the Lord turns my darkness into light.”

John 8:12 (NIV)
“When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.””

Do Not Let The Enemy Dim Your Light

Now the enemy has a goal and purpose of his own, and that is to turn as many children of Christ away from following their Heavenly Father.

Satan will do this by doing everything possible to dim our light. He can work through other people, difficult situations, discouragement, distractions, and even environments we find ourselves in.

Some may dim their light because they want to fit in and avoid criticism. Others may feel so exhausted by life’s difficulties that they become spiritually weary.

Think of it this way…there are many attributes that make you who you are — whether you are extroverted, introverted, energetic, reserved, creative, or analytical. God intentionally created each of us differently so that we may shine our light in unique ways.

Satan would love nothing more than to take the very qualities God gave you and use them against you so that you never fully live out the purpose God has placed on your heart.

Do not allow the enemy to win by convincing you to become less than the person God created you to be.

John 10:10 (NIV)
“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.”

Ephesians 2:10 (NIV)
“For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”

Reflecting The Light Of Christ

Since we understand that our light comes from God, and that He has created each of His children with a unique purpose, we can better understand what it means to reflect the light of Christ.

When we use the gifts, talents, and attributes God has given us, we should reflect His light through every word we speak and every action we take — both privately and publicly.

The light is not about us — it is about God.

Everything we say and do should point directly to Jesus.

Matthew 5:16 (NIV)
“In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.”

Colossians 3:17 (NIV)
“And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.”

Using The Gifts God Has Given Us

God is there for each and every one of us.

We do not have to know everything or have everything figured out in order to experience God’s presence. We simply need a willing heart that continually seeks Him.

When we connect ourselves to the Lord, we are given His light.

This light was never meant to be hidden, but to shine for the whole world to see.

We have all been given unique gifts and talents, and the Lord has blessed us with them so that we may use them — not hide them.

We should use these gifts and talents to shine our lights before others so they may be drawn to the true Light, our Heavenly Father.

I encourage you to spend time in prayer today and ask God to reveal the gifts and talents He has uniquely blessed you with, and that you may use them to their fullest potential to honor Him.

1 Peter 4:10 (NIV)
“Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms.”

Closing Prayer

I pray over each person reading this message that they may be filled with the light of Jesus Christ and His Holy Spirit.

Lord, please remove any fear, anxiety, or hesitation from each person’s heart so that they may step out in faith and shine their light unto the world.

You have sent us into this world to be a light and a witness for You, Lord.

Help us never to dim our light, but instead to let it shine as brightly as possible so that when we step out into the world, others may see You shining through us.

Thank You for blessing us with gifts and talents — even if we may not fully recognize them yet. Open our eyes to the attributes that You have blessed us with that make us who we are, and show us how we can use them to honor You.

2 Corinthians 4:1-18 (NIV)
“Therefore, since through God’s mercy we have this ministry, we do not lose heart. Rather, we have renounced secret and shameful ways; we do not use deception, nor do we distort the word of God. On the contrary, by setting forth the truth plainly we commend ourselves to everyone’s conscience in the sight of God. And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel that displays the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. For what we preach is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake. For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory displayed in the face of Christ. But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body. For we who are alive are always being given over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that his life may also be revealed in our mortal body. So then, death is at work in us, but life is at work in you. It is written: “I believed; therefore I have spoken.” Since we have that same spirit of faith, we also believe and therefore speak, because we know that the one who raised the Lord Jesus from the dead will also raise us with Jesus and present us with you to himself. All this is for your benefit, so that the grace that is reaching more and more people may cause thanksgiving to overflow to the glory of God. Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.”

Amen.