“Ye are the light of the world.” . . . “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.” Matt. 5:14, 16.

How beautiful for the sun, moon, and stars to be light-bearers for Jesus! And what faithful light-bearers they are! Day after day and night after night finds them in their places, faithfully holding out the glorious light that their Maker placed upon them.

But did you know that the Lord created you to be His light-bearer, too? and that He has commanded you to shine, as truly as He ever bade the sun, moon, and stars to shine? Listen to what He says: “Ye are the light of the world.” . . . “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father which is in heaven.”

’Tis true that you have no light of your own any more than the sun, moon, and stars had light of their own, but the Lord is able to give you of His light and glory as He was to give it to the sun, moon, and stars, that is, if you as fully yield yourself to Him and allow Him to. If you are not shining, the only reason is that you have not allowed God to fill you with His light.

Upon the sun, moon, and stars He placed some of His brightness and glory, and told them to show it to the people of the earth every day and every night that they might constantly be reminded of a glorious and powerful Being who made all things.

Upon you, and in you, He wants to put His own perfect and lovely life (for His life is His light, John 1:4) that you may show it to the people of the earth, and thus lead them to see that He is as kind and lovely as He is powerful, and as good and gentle as He is glorious. He says that your life will then be “as the shining light” (Prov. 4:18), because you will show forth Jesus, “the Light of the world” (John 8:12), in all your actions. Your words and actions will show people the way to their heavenly home as plainly as the sun shows them the way to their earthly home. So you see that your words and actions will be a real light to them to lead them to heaven. You notice when Jesus says for you to let your light shine He says, “Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works” and be led to glorify your Father which is in heaven.

Thus “the Lord is a Sun” (Ps. 84:11), a far greater sun than the one you see in the sky, for He not only gives the sun, moon, and stars all the light that they have, but His life can enter right into your heart and show you how to get to heaven, and shine on through you, and show those around you how to get there also.

His ten commandments are but a word picture of His ways, of His light, of His life, that He will live in you if you will let Him come in and use you. He knows that without this light of life, His life of goodness, you cannot live eternally any more than you can live this common life without the sunlight. He therefore pleads with you to let Him in, and says, “Behold I stand at the door and knock; if any man hear My voice, and open the door, I will come in to Him.”

But how can you let this blessed Light in? He answers, “I am come a light into the world, that whosoever believeth on Me should not abide in darkness” (John 12:46); “That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith.” Eph. 3:17.

Then if you really believe what God says, that is opening the door and letting Him in. You must believe that the life of Jesus is the light of the world, that you cannot live for ever without it, and that He is able to come in and live it in you, and then that He keeps His promise and does come in as soon as you ask Him to.

No one but Jesus can do works that are good enough to shine and show others how to do, therefore you must not try to do right by yourself, even after you have let Jesus in, or you will stop shining. You must every day give up your way and just let Him use your hands and feet and whole body, working in you that which is pleasing in His sight. If you let Him stay with you all the time you cannot help shining, for He is Light, and the more you give up to Him and let Him have His way with you, the more and more of your life will shine unto the perfect day, the nearer and nearer you will be getting ready for His second coming.

For do you not see? Last week we learned from the sun, moon, and stars that His coming is very near, and this week we have learned from them how we may get ready.

If we would be ready when He comes we must, like them, allow Him to put His light within us, and then daily and nightly show it to the people of the earth. We must, like them be faithful light-bearers for Jesus.

If we allow all our actions to shine with His gentleness, goodness, kindness and loveliness now, we shall be given a body like unto His glorious body when He comes, and then our bodies shall shine forth as bright as the sun in the kingdom of our Father (Matt. 13:43), and as the stars for ever and ever (Dan. 12:3).

1. When did the sun, moon, and stars begin to shine upon this earth? Gen. 1:14-19.
2. Did they have any light of their own?
3. Who gave them all that they have?
4. Then whose glory do they show? Ps. 19:1.
5. When the sun should be darkened and the stars should fall from heaven, of what was that to be a sign? Matt. 24:29-33.
6. Have the signs been seen in the heavens? Yes.
7. Then of what may we be sure? That the second coming is very near.
8. Why is He coming?
9. If we would be ready to go with Him when He comes, what must we do? We, too, must be light-bearers for Jesus. Matt. 5:14, 16; 1 Thess. 5:4, 5.
10. How can we shine when we have no light of our own? Let Jesus bring His light into our hearts.
11. Is He willing to come in? Rev. 3:20.
12. How can we let Him in? John 12:46; Eph. 3:17.
13. What is His light? His life (John 1:4), His ways.
14. When we allow His loveliness to shine through all our actions, what will our way be like? Prov. 4:18.
15. What will people see? Good works. Matt. 5:16.
16. What will our good works lead them to do? Matt. 5:16.
17. Then will not our words and actions be like a light to them?
18. If we thus shine for Jesus, or let Jesus shine through us every day, what does He promise us? Phil. 3:21; Matt. 13:43; Dan. 12:3.
19. How old must you be before you can shine for Jesus? You can shine for Him now if you believe Him and let Him come in and use you.

“Shine like the stars above,
Clear and bright, through the night;
Tell of the Saviour’s love,
Shine by doing right.”

The Present Truth – December 21, 1893
E. J. Waggoner

Story in pdf  A Lesson from the Sun Moon Stars