Devotionals by Dr. M. Craig Barnes
Let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven. --
After calling his disciples the light of the world, Jesus told them not to hide their light under a bushel. We would expect that his next sentence would tell them to use this light to help others see God more clearly. But Jesus says that the purpose of the light is to help others see the good works of the disciples. Through these good works, people will see a reflection of the Father in heaven. This is fundamental to our understanding of calling.
But if our responsibility is to do good works, our nagging question is always, "How good is good enough?" Is caring for small children all day good enough? How about volunteering in the church? Is it good enough to just pass out food to a few hungry people in the shelter? It doesn't matter how good the works are, once you start asking if they are good enough, your answer will always be "Probably not."
We have no idea what is good enough. Was it good enough when the young boy offered Jesus the little bread and fish he had when 5,000 were hungry? Good enough is not our question. Our question is simply how do we use what we have? It doesn't take much light to pierce the darkness. And it certainly doesn't help anyone to maintain a false humility that keeps your light under a bushel. People are stumbling around out there. Give them some help. Stop hiding.
-- Craig Barnes