"We'll Leave the Light on for You"

Do you recognize the slogan, "We'll leave the light on for you"? This is the slogan used by Motel 6 in their advertisements. I know, most people when they think of Motel 6 think YUK, so why am I talking about the Motel 6 advertising campaign? Because I think Jesus had this same idea in mind for his followers when he talked about light in Matthew 5:14-16 "You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your father in heaven."

Jesus is THE light and as His followers we are supposed to reflect His light so others will see Him and praise Him. Lately as I have been spending time in the word, I have recognized many areas of my life where my light is at best hidden and at worst completely out. For instance, I was reading James 3 a couple of weeks ago which talks about "Taming the Tongue" and I was deeply convicted by how frequently my tongue is not tame. Reading that passage forced me to stop and think about how often my tongue is used inappropriately; to express anger or frustration, sarcasm, verbal jabs or shots in an attempt to be funny (most always at someone's expense). These things are not a reflection of Jesus' light.

A similar thing happened last week as I was spending time in 1 Peter 4 which tells us to; be clear minded and self-controlled, love each other deeply, offer hospitality to one another without grumbling, use whatever gift I have received to serve others..."so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ." Once again I was convicted about the times when I am not like this and therefore not reflecting the light of Jesus to others.

The slogan "We'll leave the light on for you" is intended to make people feel welcome at Motel 6, like they are part of the family, to show that Motel 6 is waiting for us to come. If you are travelling and it is dark and you see a "light on for you", you will be attracted to that light. Being the "light of the world" works the same way. As Christ followers, we are intended to attract people to Jesus, to make them part of the family, to show people that THE light loves them and wants them to come to Him.

Is your light off or hidden, or do you leave the light on for others?