“Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.” (Matthew 5:16 KJV)
“…glorify your Father…”? If there are good works to be had. Good works that reveal my faith. Good works that really exercise my strengthening muscles. Then is it Him or me that I want them to glorify? Have you noticed that this question actually shapes your work? It shapes the quality of your work. It shapes the completeness of your work. It even shapes your heart while you are still sweating it out.
If this was not enough, why would I want my works to shine before men? If we are ultimately doing this to please God, and we are interested in hearing the phrase “well done good and faithful servant”; then what do we care if mere men see anything? Are not our efforts towards men like building on the sand? How quickly do things fall for the most ridiculous of reasons? Yet they are to shine before men.
It may seem so much more efficient if we can do our good works directly for the glory of God, but for some reason He has made specific provision for allowing the blindest of bent people to see something that gives Him glory. There is a lot of bigness in that. There is witness in that. There is even a lot of mercy and grace in taking the time to show the average person the greatness of God. We soon see that there is a lot of humbling in that as we realize that there would be no good in the work at all if it were not for him. Remember, it is not the nature of light to do anything but shine brightly for all to see.
“Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house.” (Matthew 5:15 KJV)