Let your light so shine before men that they may see your moral excellence and your praiseworthy, noble, and good deeds and recognize and honor and praise and glorify your Father Who is in heaven. – Matthew 5:16, Amplified Bible (AMP)

A couple of times this Summer, we had the joy of being without power at our home. At nighttime, as you can imagine, things got pretty dark, so we trounced around the house with flashlights. I had recently purchased a new flashlight that is VERY bright, and due to its brightness, the new flashlight was in demand by all of the kids. I forget which one did it, but one of the kids, the first time he or she picked up the flashlight, accidentally shined the light in my eyes. Now, if you have ever had someone shine a bright light at your eyes while you were in a dark room, you know that it HURTS! Of course, the youngling didn’t mean to hurt me, and after I screamed bloody murder, the child pointed the light in a different direction.

Unfortunately, we often do to lost people exactly what my child did with the flashlight. Yes, we shine our light for Christ, but we shine it hurtfully into the eyes of the lost rather than use it to softly illuminate their path to God. Instead of coming alongside the lost, putting our arms around them, and guiding them to Jesus with our light, we blast them with pompous piousness, causing a searing pain that drives them away from the light rather than to it.

Am I advocating that we preach only the love of Christ and not God’s holy nature as the Eternal Judge of sin? Surely not! The lost must be convinced of sin, righteousness, and judgment, or else the lost cannot see the importance of repenting of their sin, which is required for salvation. But, I am advocating that we need to bring the Gospel to those in need with humility and with gentleness and not with an attitude of arrogance and pride.

Never be afraid to shine your light for Christ; Christ has left you on this planet to do just that. But don’t shine the light on the lost with a “holier-than-thou” attitude. Such will only drive them away. Instead, bring the Gospel to others in a spirit of meekness and fear as God, through Peter, admonished us to do. If you share Christ from a place of humility rather than from a place of pride, you will see the lost follow the light rather than run from it.

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