Matthew 5:16 says, “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.” Let my light shine? John 8:12 lets us know just what that light is; Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.” So our light is actually Jesus in us, shining brightly for all to see. 

Colossians 1:27 NLT puts it like this; “For God wanted them to know that the riches and glory of Christ are for you Gentiles, too. And this is the secret: Christ lives in you. This gives you assurance of sharing his glory.” What a beautiful picture of being disciples of Christ. We must share his attributes before we share his glory. What is it that shines so brightly and draws people like a magnet? Love. It should be our calling card, the thing that identifies us as followers of Christ, what distinguishes us from all others.

In I Corinthians 13, Paul tells us that we can have all the gifts in the world but if we don’t have love, we have nothing. Why would he say that? Because love changes everything. A marriage is just two people living together, but the love they have for one another sets them apart from all others. I can say I love my husband, but unless I demonstrate it in my actions, they are merely words. A mother can say she loves her children, but if she never demonstrates that love to them, they simply leave no good impression.

In our quest to follow after Christ, some of us have forgotten the key that unlocks the hearts of people everywhere. We’ve dropped it in our pursuit of other things. Our love doesn’t resemble the love of Jesus at all. We have become self serving, having the pretense of Christianity but leaving out the one ingredient that holds it all together. Love.

I Corinthians 13:4-7 tells us what love should look like: “Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud  or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged.  It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out.  Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance.”

I can see that I need to work on a few of these areas. Ok, ALL of these areas! I’m not at all patient. Sometimes kindness goes out the window! I don’t think I’m jealous, but boastful and proud can come out sometimes. Rude? Yeah, I’ve been that! Demanding my own way, at times. Oh YES on the irritable! Recording wrongs, well, only because I forget things easily. Rejoicing in injustice, only if the other person deserves what they got (probably not what he’s looking for). I have given up on people! I have lost faith and hope. Endurance isn’t a strong suit of mine either!

Dear Father, I seriously need you fill up my love tank. It’s more than memorizing these verses, it’s about being like you in everything and every way. I need your grace and mercy, but most of all I need your love. I need faith to believe, but I REALLY need love. Give me opportunities to make up for the deficit I’ve displayed over the years. To walk in love is to be your child and I want to look like you to those around me. Pour out your love into my heart today and help me to let my light shine brightly. May your love draw people and then be what they satisfies them, heals and delivers them and sets them free. It’s in the Name above all names we pray. Amen