God’s Visual Aids – The Presidential Prayer Team

In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven. – Matthew 5:16

In the realm of education, major changes take place each decade. Among some of the greater changes is the employment of visual aids. A movement for the use of such learning support in the classroom, particularly for elementary grades, began in earnest in 1918. To facilitate learning, education companies began developing such things as flannelgraph boards that were particularly helpful in history lessons. Stereographs, slides, and films soon became part of schools’ audio-visual departments. Today, computers control visual aids, and many in the education field report that students tune out due to visual overload, resulting in a diminished impact on learning.

Bible historian H. W. Cragg said, “The Christian is the visual aid which God brings on to the stage when he begins to speak at an unconverted person.” Theologian John Piper says of today’s verse, it “doesn’t refer only to believers testifying by their lives to unbelievers. It also refers to that spiritual transaction between two believers… of the light of God’s love in one’s life so other believers see it.” God has given you a purpose; your good works are visual aids that attract and point people to Himself. One writer suggested that those who have never heard the Gospel should at least see it by watching you.

Jesus said that you are the light of the world. In Ephesians 5:8, Paul reminds you to “walk as children of light.” Let your light shine as you do the things God has set out for you to do. And, as one writer said, “If you are having a bad day and you can’t shine, at least twinkle!” Pray for Christians in Congress to shine in a way that they become the visual aid God uses to draw others into a relationship with Jesus.

Today’s Verse: Matthew 5:16

In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.

All Scripture quotations and audio are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Recommended for further reading: James 2:14-26

¹⁴What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? ¹⁵If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, ¹⁶and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and filled,” without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that? ¹⁷So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.

¹⁸But someone will say, “You have faith and I have works.” Show me your faith apart from your works, and I will show you my faith by my works. ¹⁹You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe—and shudder! ²⁰Do you want to be shown, you foolish person, that faith apart from works is useless? ²¹Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered up his son Isaac on the altar? ²²You see that faith was active along with his works, and faith was completed by his works; ²³and the Scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness”—and he was called a friend of God. ²⁴You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone. ²⁵And in the same way was not also Rahab the prostitute justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out by another way? ²⁶For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, so also faith apart from works is dead.