Don’t Hide the Light (Day 4)
Don't Hide the Light
“An oil lamp was fragile clay—but filled with oil, it burned bright. So are you.”
Matthew 5:15 (ESV)
“Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house.”
Devotional Thought
When Jesus talked about lamps, He wasn’t picturing wax candles like we use today. He was pointing to the fragile clay oil lamps common in every home of His time. Archaeologists in Israel still find thousands of them because they were everywhere—small, ordinary, and easily broken.
That’s the point. Like those lamps, we’re fragile. Paul says it this way: “We have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us” (2 Cor. 4:7). On our own, we break easily. But with oil—the symbol of the Spirit—we carry God’s light into a dark world.
But here’s the danger...Jesus said some people light a lamp and then put it under a bushel. A lamp under a container quickly loses oxygen, smothering the flame. That’s what happens when we hide our gifts, shrink back in insecurity, or convince ourselves that we have nothing to offer. The Spirit is ready to shine through us, but self-doubt, fear, or comparison (I hate comparison) can choke out the fire.
The truth is this, God never made you to be hidden. He didn’t give you gifts just to store them away. He placed His Spirit inside you so you would burn brightly for His glory. You may feel small or breakable, but that’s the very stage for God’s power to shine the clearest.
So...
It’s time to step out from under the bushel. Stop putting yourself down or hiding your gifts. As long as you stay yielded to the Holy Spirit, He will keep filling you with fresh oil to shine brightly in a home, a work place, a grocery store, a living room, a school, a gas station, or even the Revenue office!
So shine bright in a dark world.
That’s the point. Like those lamps, we’re fragile. Paul says it this way: “We have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us” (2 Cor. 4:7). On our own, we break easily. But with oil—the symbol of the Spirit—we carry God’s light into a dark world.
But here’s the danger...Jesus said some people light a lamp and then put it under a bushel. A lamp under a container quickly loses oxygen, smothering the flame. That’s what happens when we hide our gifts, shrink back in insecurity, or convince ourselves that we have nothing to offer. The Spirit is ready to shine through us, but self-doubt, fear, or comparison (I hate comparison) can choke out the fire.
The truth is this, God never made you to be hidden. He didn’t give you gifts just to store them away. He placed His Spirit inside you so you would burn brightly for His glory. You may feel small or breakable, but that’s the very stage for God’s power to shine the clearest.
So...
It’s time to step out from under the bushel. Stop putting yourself down or hiding your gifts. As long as you stay yielded to the Holy Spirit, He will keep filling you with fresh oil to shine brightly in a home, a work place, a grocery store, a living room, a school, a gas station, or even the Revenue office!
So shine bright in a dark world.
Application Questions
- What “bushel” have you been hiding under—fear, insecurity, comparison?
- How have you seen God use your weakness as the stage for His strength?
- Where is God calling you to bring your light out into the open this week?
Today's Challenge
Name one gift or opportunity you’ve been hiding and choose a practical step today to bring it into the open for God’s glory.
Today's Prayer
Lord, thank You for filling me with Your Spirit. Forgive me for hiding the light You’ve given me. Help me to step out boldly, not in pride, but in surrender, so others can see Your light shining through my fragile life. Amen.
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