There was a time when shopping used to be simple. Milk was just milk and bread was just bread. Today, life is so much more complicated. Milk comes in varieties like skimmed, low-fat; full cream, full fat etc. Buying bread is even more complex! One item I recently purchased is a light bulb. I found myself in front of a rack of different types of bulbs. There were halogen bulbs, fluorescent, LED, high intensity, incandescent etc. Each bulb produces different intensity of light and was designed with a certain use in mind.Jesus said in Mathew 5:14-16,NIV,

“You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden.Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house.In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.”

If we are the light, then it brings to question, what type of light are we? Do we burn bright for Christ and shine, so others may find their way to Jesus through us? Bulbs shine brightest when they are new, and eventually dim away and die out. Sometimes we tend to be the same way. When we came to know Christ, our faith & love was at its peak. People could make out a difference in our attitude & approach. As time went by, the saturation set in, and we find ourselves compromising with the world, and slowly drift away from our first love. The farther we are from Jesus, the less bright we shine.

Some have outbursts of light during conventions, camps & revival meetings, but doesn’t last long. Jesus said ‘no one lights a lamp and put it under a bowl but instead they put it on a stand so that it can give light to everyone around’. We were created with a purpose, and bought with a price.  We do not have to be ashamed of who we are in Christ, instead, shine forth for Christ & be a source of love, comfort, peace, joy and light for others around us.

“I am not ashamed to own my Lord
Or to defend His cause
Maintain the honor of His Word
The glory of His cross”