I love this…

It is a great quote and a great principle. St Francis of Assissi said, “Preach the Gospel at all times.  When necessary, use words.” I love this quote. But as I said in my book “Prepare For Greater Things,” good deeds alone will not do the trick.  And this brings us to our Verse of the Day:

Matthew 5:16

16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.

(NIV)

Christ is teaching us the art of being a witness for our Heavenly Father.  God is invisible (Colossians 1:15). It is very difficult to follow a God that cannot be seen.  When Christ came, He came to glorify the Father (John 17:1). In the Garden of Gethsemene prayer, Jesus asks the Father to glorify Him so that He could glorify the Father.  This was in preparation for his crucifixion. This is the process. God glorifies us so that we can glorify Him. But what causes the Father to glorify us? Is it good deeds alone?  Jesus teaches us here in Matthew that they are not.

Is your light shining?

He says, “let your light shine” so that people may see your deeds and glorify the Father.  But what happens if your light is not shining? Unless your light is shining, the good deeds will either not be seen or will not cause people to glorify the Father.  So, let’s talk about your light for a moment.

In John, Chapter 1, Jesus is the Light.  His works are not the light. The crucifixion is not the light.  Not even the resurrection was the light. These were deeds done by the Light.  The Light was the person of Christ, His nature, His demeanor, His heart. We can do all the good deeds we want, but if we do not do them with the heart of Christ, people may talk about how good of a person we are, but they will not glorify God.

Glory if the evidence of God.  When Moses came down from the mountain, his face shone with the glory of God (Exodus 34:29).  It was proof that He had been with God. We glorify God by living a life with evidence of His presence in our life.  Doing good deeds is important, but they must be done with the grace, kindness, generosity, and unconditional love of Christ as well.  Changing someone’s tire for them when they are stranded is great, but if you are rude to them the next day at work, the good deed will be eclipsed by your rudeness.  We have to live in Christ so that our good deeds have the effect of glorifying God. But wait…there’s more 🙂

Just before Jesus called Lazarus out of the grave, He prayed.  Here is what He said:

John 11:38-43

38 Jesus, once more deeply moved, came to the tomb. It was a cave with a stone laid across the entrance. 39 “Take away the stone,” he said.

“But, Lord,” said Martha, the sister of the dead man, “by this time there is a bad odor, for he has been there four days.”

40 Then Jesus said, “Did I not tell you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?”

41 So they took away the stone. Then Jesus looked up and said, “Father, I thank you that you have heard me. 42 I knew that you always hear me, but I said this for the benefit of the people standing here, that they may believe that you sent me.”

43 When he had said this, Jesus called in a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!”

(NIV)

Words matter…

Jesus used His words to make sure that people understood all that He was doing was from the power of the Father.  He and the Father are one and have always been one, but He came to Earth and took on the form of a man, living as a man, dependent upon the power of the Father through the Holy Spirit.  By praying out loud, He ensured the glory went to the Father. Good deeds done in the spirit of Christ are necessary, but the light includes words. We have to talk and tell people about the goodness of God as we do good deeds as we live out the heart of Christ.  When Jesus tells us to let our light shine, He is telling us we need to be filled with Him, The Light, so that He shines through us.  

In Revelation, there are lamps that represent the church.  Lamps hold the light. We are spiritual lamps allowing the Light of Jesus Christ to shine through us.  We do this through good deeds, but also a Christlike way, and we must use our words.  

There is no better time than Christmas to do this.  As you give gifts and gather with your family, live out the heart of Christ and remind people you are giving them gifts because of all God has done for you.  And may they give glory to their Father in Heaven

Be sure to share these devotions and check out my private Facebook Page for Biblical Life Coaching.  This is a page where we can talk about specific issues applying Scripture to our daily lives.

Live Blessed and Be a Blessing!

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Pastor Lee is a pastor and Biblical life coach.  He has been helping people through counseling, pastoring, teaching, and preaching for 20+ years.  His ministry focuses on helping people overcome the strongholds of the past and press on into God’s plan for an abundant life.  He has been married to his wife, Amy for 28 years.  He has three sons and one daughter-in-love.  For more about Pastor Lee or to get some Biblical advice, go to the About page.