You’re probably already humming that old tune to This Little Light of Mine, aren’t you? It’s catchy. And it’s full of biblical truth. We are supposed to let our lights shine. And, hopefully, they’re more than little lights. They should be big lights. But Jesus gives us a warning about our light.

Make sure that the light you think you have is not really darkness. If you are filled with light, with no dark corners, then your whole life will be radiant, as though a flood light is shining on you.

Luke 11:35-36 (NLT)

But how can light be darkness?

Satan was once known as Lucifer, meaning light-bearer. Though the devil is unable to create anything on his own, he tries his hardest to manipulate what God has already created and distort it into something that mimics light. If we are not careful, we may mistake his distortion as the real thing.

God’s light has several characteristics:

• It brings truth in love. Satan will use truth when it suits him, but it often lacks the love that comes with God’s truth. While truth may hurt, it does not hate.
• It always reflects His Word. God will never reveal something to an individual that is contradictory to what we already have in His written Word.
• It will encourage, not discourage. God is in the business of building people up, not tearing them down. While uncomfortable change may be required on our part, the end result is always constructive.

It always comes back to the Word of God. The Bible. It is and should always be our standard and we should always be checking ourselves against it. If we fill ourselves with the light of the Word of God, there will be no room for darkness. We will have true light so we can let it shine.

Daily Bible reading: Ruth 1-4, Luke 11:29-54