“Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all t<\/em>hat are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven<\/em>” (Matthew 5:14-16 KJV).<\/p><\/blockquote>\n When considered in context, Jesus’ admonition carries a powerful message. It indeed gives us a powerful tool for spreading the gospel message (evangelism). Each act of love and kindness is a point of light from the source of light (“God is Light”- I John 1:5), transmitted through those walking in the light. As Christians, we are indeed lighting the world by the very nature of our relationship to the Godhead.<\/p>\n How can we let our light glorify God? Throw away the bushel (basket) that is hiding it from the world.<\/p>\n It is hard to deeply respect one who boasts of the good things he does for the Lord (shining his light) while we are well aware of his worldly lifestyle.<\/p>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" by Edward O. Bragwell Our title is a line from a very familiar song to little folks who participate in Bible classes. Seeing them marching around, holding the imaginary light high with one hand, is a joy. The idea ultimately goes back to Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount: “Ye are the light of the world.…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[27],"tags":[353,721,451],"class_list":["post-21946","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-article","tag-influence","tag-kindness","tag-teaching"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":44988,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/its-dark-out-there\/","url_meta":{"origin":21946,"position":0},"title":"It’s Dark Out There","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"April 2, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"by David Diestelkamp via\u00a0Think on These Things A candle burned anonymously across from where I sat. The unusually bright Chicago winter day flooded the room with light, overwhelming the glow of the candle. The candle was superfluous, unnecessary, and useless, at least as far as giving light was concerned. Had\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/Candle-200x300.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":28495,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/has-the-salt-lost-its-savor\/","url_meta":{"origin":21946,"position":1},"title":"Has the Salt Lost Its Savor?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"December 11, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"by Bubba Garner Biblical Insights, July 2007 Evil is everywhere.\u00a0It is all around us. It's in the workplace and in the schoolhouse. It's in the neighborhoods and in the media. It's even in the\u00a0church and in the home. It is, indeed, a very clear and present danger. But ours is\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/salt-300x200.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":94309,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/notes-on-light\/","url_meta":{"origin":21946,"position":2},"title":"Notes on Light","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"March 4, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"by Terry Wane Benton \"The LORD is my light and my salvation; Whom shall I fear?\" (Psalms 27:1). \"Unto the upright there arises light in the darkness; He is gracious, and full of compassion, and righteous\" (Psalms 112:4). \"Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Notes"","block_context":{"text":"Notes","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/notes\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":36002,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/i-want-to-go-to-a-good-university-but-my-reputation-as-a-student-is-poor\/","url_meta":{"origin":21946,"position":3},"title":"I want to go to a good university, but my reputation as a student is poor","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"November 27, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Hello, I want to\u00a0get into a good university but my reputation in college is terrible. I am sure the teachers will predict low grades for me and\u00a0all of them do not think of me as a good student. Now I am trying to behave as a Christian should do,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":60520,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/the-true-light\/","url_meta":{"origin":21946,"position":4},"title":"The True Light","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"April 28, 2007","format":false,"excerpt":"by Bryan Matthew Dockens Among other illustrious descriptions, our Lord Jesus Christ is called \"the true Light which gives light to every man coming into the world\" (John 1:9). When Jesus Was Born a Star a Star Appeared \"Now after Jesus was born\u2026 behold, wise men from the East came\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/04\/sunlight.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":34180,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/how-should-prayer-be-done-at-a-wedding-when-the-in-laws-are-muslims\/","url_meta":{"origin":21946,"position":5},"title":"How should prayer be done at a wedding when the in-laws are Muslims?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"July 22, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Hello, I have a friend in our Bible study group whose son is getting married to a gal who converted to the Christian faith a couple of years ago and has been immersed, but her family is Muslim (except one brother). 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The thrust of this passage is for us not to cancel the effect of the light we have in Christ by, at the same time, filling our lives with worldliness. The worldliness cancels out the effect of the godliness. Let’s be busy showing the world the light received from the Father while at the same time preserving the effect of that light by keeping ourselves “unspotted from the world<\/em>” (James 1:27.)<\/p>\n