Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.

Matthew 5:16, NKJV (Jesus speaking)

And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance; for you serve the Lord Christ.

Colossians 3:23-24, NKJV

The Scriptures teach us clearly that we are saved by grace, through faith, which, in its totality, is a gift of God. We do not work for our salvation; we do not earn our salvation; we could never merit our salvation; we cannot buy our salvation. There is nothing we could ever do to get right with God on our own terms – we must come to Him on His. And there is one, and only one, means by which we can be saved: through Jesus Christ.

Once that has been settled, our lives are changed forever. We are new creations: the old has passed away and all things have become new. From that moment on we are to live our lives for His glory. We are to shine brightly so that others might see Jesus in us.

Why is it that so many who profess to know Jesus bear no resemblance to Him? You might think that I am being overly judgmental, but we are told in the Bible that people would be known by the fruit they bear. We do make evaluations based on what we see and hear. We do make judgements. We are just to make them carefully and correctly.

However, I am not speaking here of making judgments of others, but rather of taking a long, hard, serious look at ourselves. Are we living lives of righteousness? Are we striving to bring glory to God in all we do and say? Do others really see Jesus in us? Again, let’s be reminded of the words of the apostle Paul: whatever you do, do it as unto the Lord.

Take a moment and think about what difference it would make in your life if you put forth a conscious effort to do everything for His glory? If we took seriously that admonition, how would it affect our behavior, our attitude, our ambitions, our outlook on life? How would you be changed if you did everything consciously and consistently for His glory?

Is it readily obvious to others that you are a follower of Jesus Christ, or would your co-workers and acquaintances be surprised to learn that you profess to be a Christian? Does your life and lifestyle, your behaviors and beliefs, bear testimony to being a sincere and serious disciple of the Lord, or is your life more in alignment with the ways of the world? Do you look at life through the lenses of the world, or through the lenses of the Word of God? Are your decisions based on leaning upon God for guidance, or do you make them by listening to the world’s philosophies?

I tell my students at Fruitland Bible College at the beginning of each quarter to develop the desire to do all that they do for God’s glory. Write a paper as if you were going to hand it to Jesus, personally. You are not doing it for a grade (at least that’s not the most important reason!), but rather you are doing it for Him. When you study for an exam, do the best you can do, because you are doing it for Him, and He deserves your best.

When you are going about your daily routine, whatever that may be, remember that you are a representative of the Lord Jesus Christ. Don’t let you light be dimmed by the trappings of the world but live your life by the authority of God’s Word and do everything for His glory. Remember, we are to do whatever we do for His glory. We are ambassadors for Christ. Our vocation, as Paul says in Ephesians, is to walk worthy of the Lord Jesus Christ. We are to strive to never do anything that would bring shame to His name.

So, to recap, based on the authority of Scripture alone, we are saved by faith alone, which is the gift of God’s grace alone, and is offered to us through Christ alone, which leads us to live lives of righteousness for His glory alone. Let this be the deepest desire and the guiding principle of our lives!

Until next time:

Blessings!