shining our light

So today in the One Year Bible, Jesus says something that definitely appears to contradict His other teachings, in Luke 8:4-21. He says in this passage that we must let our lights shine before men. We must not hide our lamp under a bushel, but put it up high where everyone can see it.

But... how does that make any sense, when in other passages He very clearly tells us NOT to do our works where men can see them? That we should pray in our closet, not out on the street corner for everyone to see? That we shouldn't even let our one hand know what the other hand is doing, when we do good works. So which is it? Shine our light, or hide in the closet to pray?

Well, as I've discussed in previous blogs, it's all about your motivation. If you announce on FB that you're giving up chocolate for Lent because you want everyone to think you're very good and holy and wonderful, then you probably need to rethink your actions. If you go to work tomorrow and tell everyone that you are going to church this weekend so you can't come to their get together, and you say it so they think you're a good person, not like those nasty people in accounting, then you need to follow Jesus's teachings on NOT showing our works for others to see.

On the other hand, if you share your Lenten observation in order to get others excited about observing Lent, too, then you're letting your light shine like Jesus said to. If you go to work and say you're sorry you can't be at the get together at 11am on Sunday, but you'd be happy to stop by after church, and is there anything they would like you to pray for? Then maybe you're letting your light shine and being salt and light in your community.

It's all a matter of motivation. Why are you sharing your good deeds? To impress others? Or to inspire and motivate people to live more like Jesus?

God, thanks for teaching us both sides of issues like these... give us wisdom to know when to do which one.