“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)     

As a born-again, Spirit-filled Christian, and a member of the Body of Christ; we have a duty to be a good example before others who have not come to know Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. Many have heard the saying that you, the child of God, may be the only Bible some people read. Paul says in the book of (2 Cor. 5:20a), “Now then we are ambassadors for Christ.”

 What is an ambassador? Oxford Dictionary Thesaurus says of the word “ambassador”: a) a person sent by a state as its permanent representative in a foreign country; b) a person who represents or promotes a particular activity.

Our duty, as Christians, is to represent Christ by our day-to-day living. We must let our light shine in this crooked and perverse world. Jesus told the disciples that they were the salt of the earth, the light of the world, and a city that is set on a hill. We know that salt brings flavor to bland food; light reveals those things that the eye cannot see in darkness, and it also brings life; and a city set on a hill is visible for all to see when it is lit up.

So, child of God, we are all these things. We are the representatives of the Hope of the world (Who is Jesus Christ); and this world needs those who represent Christ to shine forth.

Let’s see what Paul has to say about being a good example:

(1 Tim 1:15-16) “This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief. (16) Howbeit for this cause I obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might shew forth all longsuffering, for a pattern to them which should hereafter believe on him to life everlasting.”

Child of God, you set the example, not the world. Paul makes it so clear for us in (1 Cor. 11:1), “Be followers of me, even as I also am of Christ.”  Paul is telling the Church at Corinth “I am your example, follow me; But Christ is my example and I follow Him.” Paul commended the Church at Rome for their being a good example to the known world (Rom. 1:8), “First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for you all, that your faith is spoken of throughout the whole world.”

Are we being the example on our jobs, in our community, even at our local church? What could your boss, or your neighbor, or your fellow church member say about you and your walk of faith? This is something to think about.