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Matthew 5:16 - Lighting Up the Dark.

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. 

Matthew 5:16 (NLT) In the same way, let your 
good deeds shine out for all to see, so that 
everyone will praise your heavenly Father. 

COMMENTARY PEARL

   I heard about a man in his senior years 
who was walking beside a lake when he suddenly 
heard a voice. Hey you! someone said, 
Come over here and kiss me, and Ill turn into 
a beautiful princess. 
   He looked around but didnt see anyone. 
Again, a voice said, Hey, you! Come over here 
and kiss me, and Ill turn into a beautiful 
princess. 
   Then he noticed a little frog by the 
waters edge. The frog said, Hey, you! Kiss me, 
and Ill turn into a beautiful princess. 
   So the man reached down, carefully picked 
up the frog, and put it into his shirt pocket. 
Then he turned and walked away. 
   The frog called out, Hey, didnt you 
hear what I said? I said, Kiss me, and Ill 
turn into a beautiful princess. 
   The man replied, At my age, Id 
rather have a talking frog. 
   Thats how it can be when we study 
Bible prophecy. We can miss the whole point. In 
Luke 12, Jesus tells us how we ought to be living 
as we anticipate His imminent return: Be 
dressed for service and keep your lamps burning, as 
though you were waiting for your master to return 
from the wedding feast (verses 35"36 NLT). 
   Jesus was describing a first-century 
Jewish wedding, which could go on for days or even 
a week. They didnt know when the groom 
would arrive, so everyone would be dressed and 
ready. To have your lamps burning meant that 
youd have sufficient oil in them. If you 
werent prepared, then youd miss the wedding. 
   This world is a very dark place, and it 
seems to be getting darker. But Jesus said, Let 
your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that 
everyone will praise your heavenly Father (Matthew 
5:16 NLT). [Greg Laurie from Harvest Ministries; 
https://www.harvestdaily.com] 

WORD STUDY

Light. Light has ever been a symbol of the 
divine presence (see on Gen. 1:3; 3:24). John 
refers to Jesus as the light of men shining 
forth amid the darkness of this world (ch. 
1:4"9). Toward the close of His ministry Jesus 
referred to Himself as the light of the world 
(see on John 8:12; 9:5). Having accepted Jesus as 
the light of the world, a Christian, if true to 
his calling, becomes a reflector of that light. 
[SDA Bible Commentary] 

COMMENTARY

   No other light ever has shone or ever 
will shine upon fallen man save that which 
emanates from Christ. Jesus, the Saviour, is the only 
light that can illuminate the darkness of a world 
lying in sin. Of Christ it is written, "In Him was 
life; and the life was the light of men." John 
1:4. It was by receiving of His life that His 
disciples could become light bearers. The life of 
Christ in the soul, His love revealed in the 
character, would make them the light of the world. 
   Humanity has in itself no light. Apart 
from Christ we are like an unkindled taper, like 
the moon when her face is turned away from the 
sun; we have not a single ray of brightness to 
shed into the darkness of the world. But when we 
turn toward the Sun of Righteousness, when we 
come in touch with Christ, the whole soul is 
aglow with the brightness of the divine presence.  
MB39,40 

   Let Christ shine in your life.  Develop a 
relationship with Jesus that will cause Him to be 
revielded in your life and deeds. 
   Christ does not bid His followers strive 
to shine. He says, Let your light shine. If you 
have received the grace of God, the light is in 
you. Remove the obstructions, and the Lord's 
glory will be revealed. The light will shine forth 
to penetrate and dispel the darkness. You 
cannot help shining within the range of your 
influence.   
   The revelation of His own glory in the 
form of humanity will bring heaven so near to men 
that the beauty adorning the inner temple will be 
seen in every soul in whom the Saviour dwells. 
Men will be captivated by the glory of an 
abiding Christ. And in currents of praise and 
thanksgiving from the many souls thus won to God, glory 
will flow back to the great Giver.  COL420 
   As your relationship with Jesus grows 
your life will reflect  more and more His glory. 
   Wherever there is union with Christ there 
is love. Whatever other fruits we may bear, if 
love be missing, they profit nothing. Love to God 
and our neighbor is the very essence of our 
religion. No one can love Christ and not love His 
children. When we are united to Christ, we have the 
mind of Christ. Purity and love shine forth in 
the character, meekness and truth control the 
life. The very expression of the countenance is 
changed. Christ abiding in the soul exerts a 
transforming power, and the outward aspect bears witness 
to the peace and joy that reign within. We 
drink in the love of Christ, as the branch draws 
nourishment from the vine. If we are grafted in Christ, 
if fiber by fiber we have been united with the 
Living Vine, we shall give evidence of the fact by 
bearing rich clusters of living fruit. If we are 
connected with the Light, we shall be channels of 
light, and in our words and works we shall reflect 
light to the world. 1SM337 

He who draws nigh to Christ need not try to 
shine. As he beholds the Saviour, he catches the 
divine rays of light from the Sun of Righteousness, 
and he cannot help shining. The light that is in 
him shines forth in clear, bright rays, in words 
and works of righteousness. Christs grace 
dwells in him richly, and heavens light shines 
through him. UP322 

He who lives nearest to Jesus shines the 
brightest. (EGW Letter 94, 1903). 

   There is no mistaking the effect of light 
upon a darkened place. Light boldly and 
unabashedly announces its presence and vigorously 
dispels darkness. Gods desire is to fill you with 
His light. He wants you to shine as a brilliant 
testimony of His presence and power in your life, so 
that the darkness in the lives of those around 
you will be displaced by the light of Gods 
glory. 
   If, however, you notice the world around 
you becoming darker and darker, dont blame 
the darkness! It is simply doing what darkness 
does. The only remedy for darkness is light. If 
the world is becoming darker, the problem is not 
with the darkness. The problem is with the light. 
Jesus said His disciples should be the light of 
the world (Mt 5:14). What an awesome 
responsibility"to be the ones through whom God would shine His 
divine light and dispel the darkness from around 
others! In announcing His own coming, Jesus said, 
The people who sat in darkness have seen a great 
light, / And upon those who sat in the region and 
shadow of death / Light has dawned (Mt 4:16). 
   There was no ignoring Jesus arrival 
upon earth! Darkness was dispelled! Everywhere 
Jesus went, Gods truth was boldly proclaimed, 
people were healed, hypocrisy was exposed, and 
sinners found forgiveness. The world was never the 
same once the Father introduced His light through 
His Son. Can that be said of you as well? Do 
your coworkers recognize the light that is within 
you? Does the presence of Christ radiate from 
your home into your community? When Gods light 
is allowed to shine unhindered through your 
life, the darkness around you will be dispelled. 
[Experiencing God Day by Day by Henry and Richard Blackaby 
re Mat. 5:16] 

   Every Sunday countless people all over 
the world sit in church buildings with a false 
sense of security. They assume that their 
morality, lifelong church membership, or baptism will 
earn them a place in heaven. While many of these 
folks sincerely desire to please God, they are 
confused about what the Christian life is all about. 
They think in terms of doing rather than being. 
So they imitate the actions of good Christians: 
going to a weekly service, praying, reading the 
Bible, and trying to be decent people. 
   However, salvation is not the product of 
good works. We come into the world with a corrupt 
nature, and all our wrongdoing is born of a heart 
turned away from the Lord. Because we are sinful 
people, we sin. It's that simple. The good news is 
that in the salvation experience, we are given a 
brand-new nature (2 Cor. 5:17). Our sin is wiped away 
because Jesus Christ sacrificed Himself for us. From 
the moment we trust in Him, the Holy Spirit 
dwells in our heart so that we can live 
righteously. 
   The world values action, but the Father 
prioritizes relationship--specifically a right 
relationship with Him. People who scurry about flaunting 
religiosity are missing out on the deeply satisfying and 
joyous intimacy between a believer and the Lord. 
   We can help turn others' tragic 
misunderstanding into triumph by being ready to explain why 
we have hope (1 Peter 3:15). Speak of the 
personal relationship with Christ that's possible 
when a person admits his need and trusts in the 
Savior. If your light shines, it reflects well on 
the church. [In Touch Daily Devotional by 
Charles Stanley at www.intouch.org] 

   First-century weddings were not like ours 
today. In those days a wedding could last up to a 
week. It was a big event, and there was a fun 
element to it. 
   Everyone arrived ready to go, but they 
didnt know when the groom would appear. He might 
show up in the morning, in the afternoon, or in 
the evening. And when he was on his way, they 
made an announcement so everyone could take their 
places for the wedding ceremony. 
   Jesus said, Be dressed for service and 
keep your lamps burning, as though you were 
waiting for your master to return from the wedding 
feast. Then you will be ready to open the door and 
let him in the moment he arrives and knocks 
(Luke 12:35"36 NLT). 
   A first-century flashlight basically 
consisted of a clay dish, oil, and a floating wick. To 
be prepared, they would carry extra oil in a 
little flask. 
   If we were to put this into our 
vernacular today, it would be like saying, Have 
fresh batteries in your flashlight or Have 
your phone charged. 
   Jesus also said, Let your good deeds 
shine out for all to see, so that everyone will 
praise your heavenly Father (Matthew 5:16 NLT). 
   We believe in verbal proclamation of the 
gospel. Were not ashamed of it. But we also need 
to live the gospel. We need to demonstrate the 
gospel by the way that we live. 
   We can do this by being a good and godly 
neighbor. If someone is in the hospital, we visit 
them. If someone needs prayer, we pray for them. 
If someone has hit hard times, we take a meal 
to them. And we do these things in the name of 
the Lord. 
   As Christians, we should be shining 
lights in a dark place. And as our culture grows 
darker, we need to shine brighter. [Greg Laurie from 
Harvest Ministries; https://www.harvestdaily.com] 

Daily Deeds of Kindness
   In the final days of Jesus life, he 
shared a meal with his friends Lazarus, Martha, and 
Mary. Within the week he would feel the sting of 
the Roman whip, the point of the thorny crown, 
and the iron of the executioners nail. But on 
this evening, he felt the love of three friends. 
   For Mary, however, giving the dinner was 
not enough. Mary came in with a jar of very 
expensive aromatic oils, anointed and massaged 
Jesus feet, and then wiped them with her hair. The 
fragrance of the oils filled the house (John 
12:3).  
   Judas criticized the deed as wasteful. 
Not Jesus. He received the gesture as an 
extravagant demonstration of love, a friend surrendering 
her most treasured gift. As Jesus hung on the 
cross, we wonder, Did he detect the fragrance on 
his skin? 
   Follow Marys example.
   There is an elderly man in your community 
who just lost his wife. An hour of your time 
would mean the world to him. 
   Some kids in your city have no dad. No 
father takes them to movies or baseball games. 
Maybe you can. They cant pay you back. They 
cant even afford the popcorn or sodas. But 
theyll smile like a cantaloupe slice at your 
kindness. 
   Or how about this one? Down the hall from 
your bedroom is a person who shares your last 
name. Shock that person with kindness. Something 
outlandish. Your homework done with no complaints. 
Coffee served before he awakens. A love letter 
written to her for no special reason. Alabaster 
poured, just because. 
   Daily do a deed for which you cannot be 
repaid.  
   Precious Savior, we pass people every day 
who need a demonstration of your love. May we 
search for ways to show extravagant gestures of 
gracious love, and outlandish acts of kindness. Make 
us people who set a goal of doing daily deeds 
for which we cannot be repaid. Set our hearts on 
fire for people who do not know you. Consume us 
with compassion for the desperate and 
downtrodden. Let us pour our lives out in love  just 
because, amen. [Max Lucado Daily Devotional at 
maxlucado.com] 

ILLUSTRATIONS

   Living a "fishbowl" life as both a 
pastor's daughter and a minister's wife may have 
contributed to my discomfort in the limelight. Or 
perhaps it was simply my temperament. Regardless, 
writing books ushered in new opportunities for 
speaking and new challenges. 
   When the university I attended presented 
me with a Distinguished Alumni Award a few 
years ago, I was so shocked I actually asked if 
they'd made a mistake. While recognizing that only 
Jesus can bring success and honors from our broken 
lives, I still struggled with "letting my light 
shine." After all, Jesus was the true Light of the 
World (John 8:12). Shining my light often felt 
confusing and prideful. 
   But over time, Jesus helped me understand 
that my light should simply be a reflection of 
His Light. When our focus is on Jesus and not 
ourselves, embarrassment flees. And letting our light 
shine by reflecting Him eliminates the kind of 
selfish pride and praise Jesus rebuked in the lives 
of hypocrite leaders (Matthew 6:2). 
   Every God-given gift or moment in the 
limelight should reflect our pride in the One who gave 
us good gifts and Who began the good work in us 
(Philippians 1:6). Whether it's accepting praise 
graciously, using our gifts creatively, or blessing 
others in caring, unseen ways, our goal and purpose 
are the same: to bring glory to Jesus. With that 
as our motive, it's always Jesus's greater 
Light that shines through our works. And people 
can see the difference. 
   Our Christ-like character will always 
speak louder than our works. By Rebecca Barlow 
Jordan  
   Faith Step: This week, ask Jesus to let 
His light shine through you. [Mornings With 
Jesus 2019 Devotional by Guideposts and 
Zondervan] 

   My three-year-old grandson was right on 
my heels, following me closely as I walked 
across the lawn to the front door of our home. I 
took my shoes of at the door and turned around to 
help him, but he said, "I can do it, Papa." So I 
watched as he sat there, took off his shoes, and 
placed them right next to mine. Then he reached up 
to grab my hand and waited for me to lead him 
inside. In the same way, God wants me to follow 
closely in his footsteps, doing those things I see 
him doing. The Bible calls that sanctification - 
becoming more like Jesus, one step at a time, which 
leads to one day at a time. 
   For those of us who have walked the steps 
in recovery, it's important to remember that 
many are watching us. They want to know if God 
can do for them what he has done for us. We walk 
in God's footsteps because that's what we need 
to do for ourselves, but it's also what we need 
to do for them. God is counting on us not to 
let them down. 
   Father, I am so happy to be following in 
your footsteps. Help me to remember that others 
are following in mine. In Jesus' name, Amen. 
[Celebrate Recovery Daily Devotional by John & Johnny 
Baker] 

ILLUSTRATION FROM NATURE

   I am not sure why, but I think that we 
all have a fascination with things that glow in 
the dark. I remember that, as a child growing 
up, I had a nightlight inside a mollusk shell. 
The soft dim glow of that shell kept nighttime 
monsters at bay. For biologists, critters that make 
their own light hold great interest. Most 
creatures that produce light have translucent skin or 
transparent membranes that let the light shine out to 
help find food, attract mates, scare away 
predators, etc.  
   Marine biologists Dimitri Deheyn and 
Nerida Wilson, from the Scripps Institute of 
Oceanography, recently studied Hinea brasiliana, a 
bioluminescent snail that they collected from rocks of the 
intertidal zone in Australia. A rather smallish snail, 
the clusterwink snail perhaps acquired its name 
because it gathers in clusters and winks its light 
on and off. With its light on, what one sees is 
a whole snail shell lit up with a radiant 
fluorescent green. It can rapidly turn the light on and 
off, much like the new LED taillights in modern 
autos. When Deheyn and Wilson checked it out, they 
found that the snails produced light from a small 
region of their tiny body always kept buried deeply 
inside the opaque and light-yellow pigmented shell. 
What made them turn their light on? And how did 
it shine so brightly through that hard 
protective shell?  
   Various experiments showed that the 
snails lit up best when other critters bumped into 
them or otherwise touched them"a surprise 
because this type of light switch mechanism is 
fairly rare in other bioluminescent organisms. 
Could it be the snail's way of calling for help, 
signaling for predators to come eat what's bugging 
them?  
   The biggest mystery, however, was 
learning how that tiny light source could illuminate 
the entire shell. By shining different colors of 
light on the shell, Deheyn and Wilson learned 
that, with the one exception of the blue-green 
color, the hard snail shell would let all other 
colors pass right on through. The blue-green color, 
however, diffused throughout the entire shell, giving 
it a remarkably bright glow. The researchers 
learned, too, that the yellowish shell did not change 
or color-shift the blue- green color in any 
way. It diffuses that particular light frequency 
eight times better than any commercially available 
diffuser and spreads it to an area 10 times larger. 
You can bet that scientists are closely studying 
the molecular properties of the shell to 
discover how to improve commercial light diffusers.  
   Lord, how can I be a super diffuser of 
the light from Your Word and the light of Your 
love? My desire is to be effective in letting Your 
light shine to others. [God of Wonders by David 
Steen re Isa. 49:6] 

ONE LINER

When you do a good deed, check to see if 
your motive is God's glory, or your own.  [In His 
Time; Walk With Wisdom] 

PRACTICAL APPLICATION

   As the world grows increasingly dark, 
remember that you are the light of the world. Don't 
waste energy lamenting bad things over which you 
have no control. Pray about these matters, but 
refuse to let them haunt your thoughts. Instead, 
focus your energies on doing what you can to 
brighten the place where I have put you. Use your 
time, talents, and resources to push back the 
darkness. Shine My Light into the world! 
   I am the true Light that shines on in the 
darkness - even in the most terrible conditions. Your 
light originates in Me and reflects from you. I 
have called you to reflect My Glory! You do this 
most effectively by becoming more and more fully 
the one I designed you to be. Spend ample time 
seeking My Face, beloved. Focusing on My Presence 
and My Word helps you to grow in grace and 
discern My will. Your time spent with Me nourishes 
your soul, providing comfort and encouragement. 
Thus I strengthen you and enable you to be a 
source of strength for others. (Mat. 5:14; John 
1:9; 1:5; 2Co. 3:18) [Jesus Always by Sarah 
Young] 

LINK FOR FURTHER STUDY ON THIS TOPIC

Matthew 25:31-46 - The Parable Of The Sheep 
And Goats; The Final Judgment. 

http://www.abible.com/devotions/2020/20200906-0910.html 

YOUR COMMENTS

If anyone has a paraphrase, commentary or 
testimony on this passage of Scripture, either 
personal or otherwise, I would be interested in 
hearing from you.  Thanks in advance and let's keep 
uplifting Jesus that all might be drawn to Him. Fred 
Gibbs  

LINKS WORTH CHECKING OUT

Most Important Decision in Life: 
http://www.youtube.com/embed/WGnEuGwvXqU?rel=0 

A Man without Equal by Bill Bright: 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NiVa7UoruIo 

Seeking God Made Real: 
http://vimeo.com/31489782 

Prayer Made Real: 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tc8VdMV26VE 

Importance of Choice: 
http://creationhealth.com/CREATION-Health/Choice [click on video]  

Medical Seminar on Healthful Living by David 
DeRose, MD, MPH: 
https://www.smartlifestyletv.com/lifestart 

LINKS FOR BIBLE STUDIES 

Lifting Up Jesus Bible Studies: 
http://www.liftingupjesus.net/ 

Amazing Facts Bible Studies: 
http://www.amazingfacts.org/bible-study/bible-study-guides.aspx  

Hope Awakens Bible Study Guides: 
https://www.hopeawakens.study/lesson-header;id=2 

Glow Tract Video Bible Studies: 
http://www.bibleresearch.info/ 

LINKS FOR BIBLE PROPHECY SEMINARS

Revelation Now by Pastor Doug Batchelor: 
https://www.revelationnow.com/ 

Unlocking Bible Prophecies by Cami Oetman of 
Adventist World Radio: 
https://bible.awr.org/en/the-signs/ 

Hope Awakens by John Bradshaw of IIW: 
https://itiswritten.tv/programs/hope-awakens 

Prophecies Decoded by Pastor Ron Clouzet: 
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL1A435C5373550657