What does it mean to you to “give light to your house”? That phrase is the key thought for Matthew515.com and comes directly from the verse Matthew 5:15.
For me, it means I must live a life that promotes the Truth, practices encouragement and prioritizes generosity.
God is truth. I recognize Him as the author of all truth, the creator and sustainer of all life and the author of the Bible by inspiration of His Holy Spirit. Without Him nothing exists and my existence is based solely on His grace and His generosity. I am saved out of a life of spiritual death into a new life in Jesus Christ by His grace through my faith in Him.
This is the truth that I must promote. I must say it and I must show it with my actions. I am not perfect; far from it. I have a long way to go in my knowledge and maturity as a Christian but I believe that God is faithful and will provide that which I need to do His work. I am a work in progress.
I want to be an encouragement to those I come in contact with. I want to, with smiles, kind words, handshakes, friendly hugs, pats on the back and a humble heart, encourage and build up not only my brothers and sisters in Christ but also those who are lost and in need.
This is not easy but it is worth it and I take it seriously. There is so much need for encouragement in our world today. My hope and prayer is that by being one who encourages others a brother or sister in Christ may be strengthened in their faith and a lost person may see the love of God in me. This is a worthy cause and blesses me as much, or more, than it blesses the one who is receiving the encouragement.
I am learning to prioritize generosity. In this, my wife is a great example. She is a natural gift giver and spends much of her time doing things for others. She inspires and encourages me by her actions and I love her for it.
This does not come as easily to me as it does to her. I am more likely to be found with my nose in a book (or on the computer, truth be told) and can be rather oblivious at times. I am training myself to try and notice the needs of the people around me and to be a cheerful giver of my time and resources.
I truly believe that one of the reasons that God has so blessed Vicki and I is because of her faithfulness in being a cheerful giver. She is the holder of the checkbook in my house and has over the course of the last 14 years of marriage, with limited resources, always given above and beyond the tithe while keeping us in the black each month. It has not always been easy but we have always had the money to meet any needs that came our way.
I praise the Lord for my wife and for how He has worked in my family over the years and I want to follow in the example of my generous (and wise) spouse.
To give light to those I come in contact with I must continue to promote the truth, practice encouragement and prioritize generosity. This is the practical application of the light spoken of in Matthew 5:15 as I see it.
How are you applying Matthew 5:15 in your life? What does it mean to you to “give light to your house?” As always, I welcome your comments and would love to hear what God is doing in your life.