14 Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid.
15 Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house.
16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.
5 I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.
From our opening Scripture, the Lord Jesus describes the relationship between Him and the believer, likening it to the relationship that exists between the vine and the branches. Jesus said, “I am the vine, ye are the branches”. The vine supplies life to the branches, without which the branches cannot function as they ought to and without which they cannot bear fruits. The branch in turn is the fruit-bearing part of the vine, therefore we (believers in Christ) are the part of the vine (Christ) that is designed to bear fruit. God made us in His image after His likeness, to reflect His beauty and majesty on earth. We are the expression of God’s character, the visible expression of His glory, designed to reveal divinity in humanity. Just as a tree is known by its fruits, Christ is known by us and through us. Remember the healing of the lame man at the gate called Beautiful? The Bible says, “Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John and perceived that they were unlearned and ignorant men, they marvelled; and they took knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus” (Acts 4:13). There was an evident manifestation that they were different from the rest. The miraculous works of the disciples were a fruit of those who had had an encounter with the Master.
Acts 17 records of the brethren in Berea, noble, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so. This is a posture of the heart every believer must have, seeking to know God. Your passion for God is one of the visible features people must first recognize about you. Little wonder Jesus said, “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven” (Matthew 5:16). Just the same way you cannot light a candle and hide it under a bed, your light should not be hidden. As a child of God, you are the outshining of God’s glory, the visible shining and manifestation of who He is. So, if people don’t see your good works, how will they glorify your heavenly Father? You shouldn’t be in a place and people are asking: ‘is there a Christian here?’ They should know by the fruits you bear, the fruit of love, joy, peace, patience, selflessness not selfishness, going out of your way to help others, and faithfulness, fidelity, saying a thing and standing by it. Your words ought to be so precious that they carry weight, your yes being yes and your no, no. You are the light of the world, a city set upon the hill that cannot be hidden!
My Solid Front (Confession):
In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ, I declare that I am fruitful, bearing fruits unto eternal life; my light shines so brightly that the world sees my good works and glorify my heavenly Father!
Further Meditation:
Job 29:11-14; Acts 17:10-12.