How? Did you say, “how?”

Get next to the light. Jesus said, “I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life” (John 8:12). It’s mighty important for the person who wants to let his light shine that he be near the Savior. As long as that proximity is maintained, you won’t walk in darkness. The implication is that when you get away from the light, you walk in darkness and you know what that means, don’t you? It means stumbling around, not knowing where you’re going. And that’s bad, right? The Master said, “he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God” (John 3:21). In other words, “…everyone that doeth evil hatheth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds be reproved” (John 3:20). If you want to be good and do good, you have to get next to the light.

Flip the switch. Jesus also said, “Ye are the light of the world” (Matthew 5:14). But the light you are doesn’t shine until you turn it on. It’s up to you whether or not you shine as a light. “Let your light shine” (Matthew 5:16) indicates there’s a choice involved in the matter. You have to decide to turn it on. And the reason is simple: “that they may see your good works.” The primary purpose of light is to illuminate things so that it’s easy to see. Actually, you can’t see anything when there’s no light. And furthermore, when folks see your light shining, they will be constrained to “glorify your Father which is in heaven” (Matthew 5:16). So, turn in on and let it shine.

Get the light out of the house. Now that’s not meant to say that the light is not important in the house, for the Lord said, “…men do not light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house” (Matthew 5:15), but it’s also so that if the light is going to do any good we have to get it out where it can light stuff up—or as we say, bring things to light. “A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid” (Matthew 5:14) indicates that you need to put it out where it can be seen. No matter how good the light, it’s of no benefit to anybody when it’s not being used. Actually, it’s the purpose of light to shine. No telling how much good we could do if we’d just get our light out where folks can see it.

Don’t let the light go out. Paul implores that we “walk as children of light” (Ephesians 5:8), for, says he, “ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord.” And wasn’t it the Apostle John who said, “If we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another” (1 John 1:7)? In fact, “If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth.” You can’t walk in the light and do bad things any more than you can walk in the light and in the dark at the same time. You’re either going to keep your light on or let it go out—it’s up to you. Jesus said, “the light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light” (Matthew 6:22). You can’t shut your eyes to the light and still see where you’re going. You have to keep your eyes open and fixed on the goal.

And that’s how you send the light.