Day 4:
One way we can put our LORD on display is by bearing fruit. The reason this can magnify Him is because He is the supplier to our fruit bearing. He casts a large light on Himself due to the power He infuses within us to live out godly lives before Him.
There is another verse in scripture that tells us how bearing fruit can bring glory to the Savior. It is Matthew 5:16 and it reads, “Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.”
Up to now, we have been challenged to glorify God in everything we do. We have discussed some theological terms about Gods glory and have come to understand that God created us and saved us for His glory. And in our last post we saw how critical it is to recognize the power of God within us because we can do nothing apart from Him. These introductory comments are enlightening but they are more informational than anything. Our verse here however, takes it to another level. We now move from the informative to the application. From understanding to conviction.
Our witness before the unsaved world is one powerful way God draws the lost to Himself. So I ask this- do we live in such a way that others know we have been transformed by the blood of Christ? Does our lifestyle (good works) point to the work of the Savior in our lives? This is where we now stop reading for a moment and perhaps ponder these questions. It is one thing to believe and understand that our God works within us to bring about righteousness but another thing to live out that belief. Our doctrine (body of belief) will eventually dictate how we think and act.
Godly conduct is the evidence of salvation. It is our calling. It showcases to the world the power of the LORD to completely change a heart of stone. We simply reflect Christ in our words and activities so the unbelieving world looks beyond us and sees Him. Our verse (Matt. 5:16) says they see our good works but this causes them to glorify Him, not us! This is the perspective to grasp hold of. Seeing that even our very lives really point to Christ.
Even the Apostle Peter saw the importance and magnitude of this pursuit. He says in I Peter 2:12, “Keep your behavior excellent among the Gentiles, so that in the thing in which they slander you as evildoers, they may because of your good deeds, as they observe them, glorify God in the day of visitation.” Peter was actually in the presence of Jesus when He said these words in Matthew 5:16. It obviously resonated with Peter so much that he almost rewrites Christs comment here word for word!
Unfortunately, we have obstacles in our way. Our very flesh and the lure of the world can easily entangle us (Heb. 12:1). We can fall prey to sinful vices for a time which hinders our ability to reflect Christ before others. This grieves the Holy Spirit but also robs God of His glory when we act like the world. To take it a step further, hypocrisy promotes blasphemy of God. Too strong of a statement? Consider Romans 2:21-24. Here, Paul asks if you preach to others not to steal and then you yourself steal? Do you tell others not to commit adultery but then commit adultery yourself? Then he says this is verses 23 and 24, “You who boast in the Law, through your breaking the Law, do you dishonor God? For the name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you.”
Bearing good fruit puts God in a beautiful light. Hypocrisy however, not only steals this glory from Him but actually encourages the pagans of this world to mock our Savior. We cannot win the world by acting like the world. We must live like individuals who are free from sin, not enslaved to it. Our radical life represents transformation. A transformation where the only explanation can be the miracle of salvation by the LORD Jesus Christ.
“Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children (Eph. 5:1).”
Children of Light 
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