There are a number of passages in the Bible that talk about the glory of the Lord as literally being seen as a light shining on people or from people. Isaiah 60:1-3 beckons us to arise and shine, because the glory of the Lord is shining upon us. It tells us that if we do, nations and kings will respond to that light, meaning that they will turn to Jesus. It is the glory the changes the world, yet it is because we have listened to God speak, and have obeyed by arising and shining, that the glory is revealed. This implies that we need to choose to stay connected to people so that they can see the light. Perhaps this is through words we speak, or maybe through the things we do to bring life and light.
Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5:14-16, perhaps thinking about the Isaiah passage, told his followers that they were the light of the world, and that they were to shine their light so that God gets the glory. In this same passage, it says that some might choose to hide the light, but that is not the purpose of light. Light is meant to shine in the darkness, so that people might see. Jesus suggests here that it is possible that we could even shine the light, but that God doesn’t get the glory, presumably because either the people have stolen the glory for themselves, or they failed to tell people that the source of light was God.
We see in Exodus with Moses that there were several occasions during which his face literally shone with light because he had been in the Lord’s presence. It was scary! He had to cover his face to keep babies from crying… Okay, maybe not babies, but adults were kind of freaked out! In 2 Corinthians 3:7-8, Paul writes that we should shine even better than Moses did, because we have a much better covenant. He goes on to say in verse 18 that if we want to shine more brightly than we do now, we need to spend time beholding God — staying in His presence. The way it is worded, it gives the idea that not only will we shine more and more if we do that, but that we would become like Jesus.
In 2 Corinthians 4:6-7, it says that we have his glory as in earthen vessels. I think this puzzles many commentators, but in light of the verses immediately after in which Paul tells how he had such great stress in his life, yet did not buckle under the pressure, what these verses mean is that if an earthen vessel (a person) were on their own, they would have folded. The fact that Paul thrived was a sign that the glory of God was sustaining him.
That challenges us! Next time we have a crisis that makes us want to say “Oh no!” we should instead say “Oh God!” That is, “Oh God, in my own strength I will fail. But may your glory be revealed to others as I persevere through this by pressing into your presence.” As long as we don’t do this in our own strength, God’s glory is revealed. I hope we can see every stress and every crisis as an opportunity for the glory of God to be revealed to others through us.
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From the several passages presented briefly here, it seems that all of Jesus’ followers have light to shine, but some have more light than others. If you want more light than you have now, the way to get more is to spend intimate time with God. This includes times of worship along with times of prayer where we not only talk but also listen. Beholding is a word that means to gaze upon, but that implies being focused on God, which includes purposefully listening and worshipping deeply.
If you want to shine well the light you are given, then you need to become a purer vessel from which it may shine unhindered, as through a window that has been made spotless. Growing in intimacy is an important tool for growing in holiness. Holiness also involves choosing to obey the leadings of the Holy Spirit as best you can. As we become more like Jesus, the things that would hinder us from ensuring that God is glorified through the good works and other light that we shine are diminished in their power. As we continue to follow God, we will grow in humility and we will simultaneously grow in boldness to speak God’s word in love.
If we desire to influence kings and nations for the sake of the Kingdom of God, let us seek intimacy with God and holiness, that the glory might increase and shine brightly in every dark place!