Let Your Light Shine
Scripture Reading — Acts 10:34-43
You know … how God anointed Jesus … and how he went around doing good …
Acts 10:37-38
Goodness is another quality of the spiritual fruit that God wants to cultivate in us. When I was young, if -other kids called you a “goody-goody” or a “do-gooder,” they were mocking you. Doing good was seen as something only dull kids would ever do.
How upside down our world often is! We try to make good look bad, and we talk about bad as if it’s good.
Galatians 6:9 urges us not to “become weary in doing good.” We are to be like Christ, who “went around doing good.” This means, of course, that we do good without looking down on others (see Luke 18:9-14).
In Acts 10, as Peter talked about Jesus and his ministry, he said Jesus “went around doing good.” Jesus healed the sick, cast out demons, and showed the love of God to everyone he met.
Of course, God alone is good (see Mark 10:18). All people except Jesus “have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). Remarkably, though, when we come to God through faith in Jesus, he declares us righteous (Romans 3:22; 4:3). By a sheer act of grace, God declares us “good” because of Jesus’ righteousness and his death for our sake. God then calls us to a life of doing good, to let our “light shine before others, that they may see [our] good deeds and glorify [our] Father in heaven” (Matthew 5:16).
Thank you, O God, for your gift of grace that makes us good in your sight. Empower us to do good, as Jesus did, that we may bring glory to you every day. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
About the author — Shawn Brix
Rev. Shawn Brix has served as pastor in several Ontario churches. He and his wife, Jenny, have three children.
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