Spotlight 15/2017: Let your light shine!
Glorifying God is more than praising and thanking Him. Because those who recognise mighty works can also perform such works, District Apostle Raúl Montes de Oca from Brazil explains.
“Then, as He was now drawing near the descent of the Mount of Olives, the whole multitude of the disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works they had seen, saying: ‘Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord!’ Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!” (Luke 19: 37–38).
This Bible text reminds us of a very special moment in the life of Jesus: the moments shortly before His triumphal entry into Jerusalem in order to bring His sacrifice.
The disciples, driven by the joy at all the great things they had experienced with their Lord, began to thank and praise God in loud voices. They voiced their joy loudly and publicly. They did not hide themselves, but praised God with loud voices. Some of the Pharisees in the crowd spoke up and said to Jesus, “Teacher, rebuke Your disciples.”
We can draw a parallel to our time and our current situation. We live in the time shortly before our entry into the heavenly Jerusalem—when the promises of the Lord will be fulfilled. The mighty works we experience create an unparalleled joy in us which leads us to glorify God our Father. Through the miracles which we see and experience we draw the strength that enables us to perform great works ourselves.
A miracle is a marvellous event, something extraordinary. We live in a time in which selfishness is the order of the day. Is the fact that we can simply forgive our neighbour not a miracle?
Let us glorify God publicly and underpin this by works which are consistent with the gospel. There will always be negative voices and we will encounter opposition, but if the joy in the Lord urges us to glorify Him through our deeds, we will be fulfilling what it says in Matthew 5: 16: “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.”
