Waist Deep 2018 - August 13

Matthew 5: 16 “In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.” (NIV)

The purpose of serving others should never be to draw attention to ourselves.*

In the book Catch 22 (and the movie made from the book), the catch is that pilots who were insane were exempt from flying missions, but anyone who wanted to be exempt clearly wasn’t insane so once you accepted the exemption you were no longer eligible for it. This verse sounds a little bit like a Catch 22: if I let my light shine before men, won’t they see me instead of God?  If I do something well, how can I not get the glory for it? On the other hand, if I perform poorly, how can God be glorified?  

At our church camp, the campfire area is located down an unlit path. At night, when someone ahead of me carries a flashlight, I can see the way – but I can’t see the person who is carrying the light. In the same way, when we shine our lights on the path, we show the way and God gets the glory. Light doesn’t shine to call attention to itself but to illuminate or reveal. But you can’t do either if you don’t have light.

Our light is not our good deeds but the means by which people see that they are good.*