"You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden... Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in Heaven." -Matthew 5:14,16
Since Christians are called to be the light of the world, like a 'city on a hill' that cannot be hidden, we must shine our light on those in our lives who live in darkness. 'City upon a hill' became a phrase used in American lexicon in the 1630's when John Winthrop, a well-known Puritan, used the expression in a sermon titled "A Model of Christian Charity." Winthrop said, "For we must consider that we shall be as a city upon a hill. The eyes of all people are upon us. So that if we shall deal falsely with our God in the work we have undertaken, we shall be made a story and a byword throughout the world. We shall open the mouths of enemies to speak evil of the ways of God." The message that Winthrop is delivering is extremely important, one which many Christians struggle with. I know a lot of nonbelievers whose opinion of Christians is that they are hypocritical -- preaching about sins, purity, etc. and then turning around and gossiping, lying, and partying excessively. In a way, their perception of Christianity as a whole is tainted by the few people who "deal falsely with our God," as Winthrop said. While God forgives us for our sins and Jesus' blood paid for our falling short of the glory of God, I fear that nonbelievers are not so quick as to wipe our slates clean. Although we may not want to accept that our sins may cause others to "speak evil of the ways of God," this is an inevitable truth, as evidenced by disdain and criticisms of Christianity following the widespread press coverage that has followed the "outing" of pastors/preachers around the world for their sexual immorality.
The aforementioned problem touches on a major fear of mine -- that I will be a poor role model to others whom I have the power to positively influence. Although I understand that nobody is perfect -- every one of us makes mistakes in our daily routines, I think that it is important to strive to live as sinlessly as possible and not to rely too heavily on God's forgiveness. One of the goals I aim for in life is to be able to have people look at me and to see Him. After all, Genesis 1:27 says, "So God created human beings in His own image, in the image of God He created them; male and female He created them."
I think that part of our duty as Christians is to proudly take ownership of the responsibility to be a light to God's word, but we must acknowledge that our influence goes beyond that of surface level leadership. We must walk the walk as well as talking the talk. One of the most simple ways to embody this is to simply ask, "What would Jesus do?" Although this advice sounds very cliché, thinking about the Biblical response to difficult situations helps us to be the guiding light to others. There are times when we think people are not watching what we do, but this is not the case. Acting as "a city upon a hill [that] cannot be hidden," Christians must be aware that our actions are being carefully monitored, whether we have welcomed this scrutiny or not. It is important to use this opportunity to help others see the goodness of our Lord, because when our light shines before men, they may "see your good works and glorify your Father in Heaven."
A wonderful song that touches on our desire to glorify God is Jeremy Camp's "Give You Glory." The chorus of the song is as follows: "We give You glory, lifting up our hands and singing holy, You alone are worthy, we just want to touch Your heart, Lord, touch Your heart." A truly beautiful song, with a moving message. I pray that this post helps invoke thought about the consequences of our actions, and that we will all continue to work towards being strong Christian role models.
In His name,
Ailee
