No one lights a lamp and then hides it under a bowl or a bed. Unless, of course, your light is offensive to the darkness. In that case, you should keep your light private. Don’t use it to show something contrary to the world’s darkness, lest you offend anyone.
Taken from Not the Parables of Jesus (due for release in Oct 2017)
Jesus was the light of the world while he was in it (Jn 9:5) – when we accept and follow him, his light shines in us and we become the light of the world (Mt 5:14). That light is meant to shine out – it is never meant to be just for us.- good news is meant for sharing.
Have you ever been in love? Have you ever got married? Did you keep that to yourself or did you share it?
In the same way, the joy and love of Jesus just comes spilling out so that we can’t help but talk about it.
“Then they called them in again and commanded them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus. But Peter and John replied, “Which is right in God’s eyes: to listen to you, or to him? You be the judges! As for us, we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard.” (Acts 4:18-20)
If we are able to keep it hidden then something is wrong, we have lost our first love (Rev 2:4), and/or we are loving the world instead (1 Jn 2:15). Repent and ask him to rekindle that love.
“A community of Jesus that seeks to hide itself has ceased to follow him.” Dietrich Bonhoeffer