Dive Deeper

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This song is inspired by the passage, Luke 11: 33-36

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          If you were raised in a Christian home, attended Vacation Bible School as a kid, or went to church as a child, you are probably familiar with the song, “This Little Light of Mine,” where you hold your index finger high in the air and sing about letting your light proudly shine.  When I was younger, I thought the song meant that I should literally try to show a light to everyone, as if I was showing off a candle or a flashlight.  I didn’t understand the deeper meaning of this song until years later, after reading this passage from Luke 11.

          Here, Jesus is not preaching about actual lamps that you can buy at the nearest Walmart, but Jesus is talking about sharing the Word of God through our love and our actions.  Scripture makes several references to God’s Word being “light.”  For example, Psalm 119:105 says:  Your Word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path. 

           Jesus is preaching two main messages in this passage about this “light” that are also reflected in the song.  The first message is that we need to focus on God’s Word.

          Reading the Bible gives you the best idea of who God is and what He wants for His creation.  John 1:1 says that “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”  Here, “the Word” is Jesus and He is “the light [that] shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it” (John 1:5).  Essentially, becoming familiar with the Word is becoming familiar with who Jesus is.  

          When the song says, keep your eyes set on the flame, try not to distort your gaze, it means that we need to keep our eyes and our focus on the light, the Word of God.  But how do we fix our eyes on God’s Word?  What does that look like?  For starters, it means that we consistently read the Bible and pray over the passages that we absorb.  Reading the Bible routinely may seem scary or overwhelming at first, but rather than viewing the Bible as a massive book that needs to be read, try to view the book as a way that God speaks to us.  

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           Focusing on God’s Word also means that we should try and avoid the evil influences of this world.  It is so easy to allow ourselves to become caught up with the darkness in our world rather than be filled with the goodness of the Holy Spirit.  But God’s Word and the Holy Spirit will never disappoint us while the world will time and time again.  So, next time you are tempted to listen to an explicit song or judge another on social media, try to read a Psalm instead and see how God will start to transform your life by pouring His light into you.

           When we fill ourselves up with the Word consistently and avoid focusing on the evil influences of the world, we will become more Christ-like, and we will be able to share His love and goodness.  Just as absorbing the fallen aspects of this world leads to temptation and sin, absorbing the Word leads to conviction and righteousness.  Reading and understanding Scripture is so important as a Christian because we can’t shine the light of Jesus to others if we don’t spend time getting to understand and focus on God’s Word.

          This leads to the second main message of Jesus’ preaching, which is that we need to shine the light of Christ to the entire world.

          Most people are familiar with the phrase, “What Would Jesus Do?”  Once we commit our lives to following Christ, we should be striving to act and love the way that Jesus did during His time on earth.  When we spend time in God’s Word and also spend time fellowshipping with other believers, we can get a better understanding of what it means to love others and show them the light of Christ!  The more God fills us with His light by being in relationship with us, the easier it becomes to shine that light to the world.

Shining Christ’s light to others may mean that we choose patience over bitterness while waiting in line to check out at our local grocery store (Ephesians 4:2 - “Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love”).  Shining His light may also mean that we refrain from gossiping with our friends, and rather lift up others with encouragement and love (Proverbs 18:21 - “The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit”).

          In this passage, Jesus calls on the disciples to let their light shine to the world so that the world can understand the love that Christ extends to all of us.  The world will know that we belong to Jesus when we show His light and His love in all that we do (John 13:35 - “By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another”).

          Each of us will find that we show the light of Christ to others differently, and that’s okay!  We are all created differently but equally beautiful in the eyes of God.  No matter how Christ decides to use us, each of us can proudly share the love of Christ to others so that the world can know His gift of eternal life!

Questions for Reflection 

1. Do you have a habit of spending time in God’s Word?  If so, what does it look like?  If not, how can you start this habit?

2. When do you find that your attention is fixed on the evil influences of the world rather than on scripture?  How can you fix your gaze on Christ instead in these situations?

3. What are some practical ways that you can shine the light of Jesus to others?  Are some of these things a personal challenge for you?