Matthew 5:16 “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.”
Before Men
In the Sermon on the Mount, the Lord Jesus said, “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.” We are to let our light shine before men, so that others can see, so that they will glorify God. Then, in the same sermon, the Lord Jesus said, “Take heed that ye do not your alms before men, to be seen of them. . . .” We are not to do our alms before men so that they see our good works. Confused yet?
Which point is correct? We are talking about two points in the same sermon, at the same time, made by the same Speaker! How do you reconcile letting your light shine so that men can see your good works but not doing your alms (a good work) before men? Well, the answer lies in one word: motive. If your motive is glorifying yourself, like the hypocrites did in the synagogue, you are missing the point!
When you let your light shine, others should be impressed with God’s glory, not with how “bright” you are. The context of Matthew 5:16 is persecution (see verse 11); the context of Matthew 6:1 is praise of men. The truth is, if you are out to gain the praise of men, your light will probably be the “dimmest” when persecution comes. Some of the loudest voices at church on Sunday are the quietest voices in the workplace Monday through Friday.
Your life can either glorify you, the world, or God. It’s not possible to glorify all three at the same time. If you are getting credit for how right and wonderful you are, God is not receiving His due glory. So today, let your light shine before men, in order that God will receive the credit. Who is getting the credit for your life?