This Little Light of Mine

 

This little light of mine,
I’m gonna let it shine.
Let it shine, let it shine, let it shine.

 

“This Little Light of Mine” is a gospel song for children, but it is rooted in a serious command from Jesus. It comes from Matthew 5:16, where Jesus commands His disciples: “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.”

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“Let Your Light” — Jesus begins this command with an assumption: you have a light. This light is yours, not someone else’s. He does not tell His disciples to create a light or become a light, but simply to allow or permit that light to shine forth. A disciple can suppress, conceal, or hide what God intends to be seen.

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“So Shine” — The phrase “so shine” points to the manner in which we shine. In the immediate context, Jesus has already described a city set on a hill and a lamp placed on a stand. Light illuminates openly and purposefully, positioned to benefit all. Likewise, we are to live deliberately positioned lives, shaped by Christ and lived out with consistent integrity.

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“Before Men” — Discipleship is not lived in isolation or within some secret society, but in the ordinary, public spaces of everyday life. Most of our lives are lived where people can see them—at home, at work, in the marketplace, and in conversation. This naturally causes our choices, priorities, and responses to be visible.

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“That They May” — Jesus now reveals the purpose behind letting our light shine before others. Visible faith is never an end in itself. As people observe our lives—conduct shaped by Christ, choices marked by integrity, and love expressed through action—something is meant to happen. That something is our actions pointing beyond ourselves to the recognition of God, who is both their source and their power.

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A true disciple of Jesus lives faithfully because that is who we are in Christ. But make no mistake—Jesus makes it clear that such a life carries real direction and purpose. God uses visible obedience to draw attention to His character and His glory, causing others to look upward. So, “let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.”

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Written by Craig Ressler