Bible Gateway Blog

This is the second post in a series; in part 1, Annie discussed what it means to be a “light to the world.”

Your words matter. How you speak to those around you makes a bigger difference than you could ever know.

In Matthew, Jesus tells us four ways we can be a light.

“You are the light of the world. A town built 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 others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.” — Matthew 5:14-16 (NIV)

We already discussed what it is to be a light to the world, but what does it mean to be a city on a hill?

To be a city on a hill, we have to speak love to our community. That’s what Edinburgh Castle does right in the heart of the capital of Scotland—it is a beacon for the whole city, for the ones who live right there. When all is dark, there it proudly sits atop the Royal Mile, lit on every corner, giving a reference point to anyone in view.

A city requires more than one light. It’s interesting how Jesus listed these, because again- just like with the light of the world—He’s showing us that we matter in a bigger story than just our own. We have to shine together, work together, speak love together, in order to be a city lit up for the benefit of those in the dark.

Nothing infuriated me in college like street preachers on our campus. It bothered me how they yelled and screamed justice and law and seemingly forgot grace. But what they caused, every semester, was a buzz on campus, a flicker of light. Unbeknownst to us (and maybe even to them), their judgmental statements always ended up allowing the rest of the Christians on a non-Christian campus to shine together, like a city on a hill, and stand up for grace.

It can look like that to be a city. It can also look like teaching Sunday School at your church or coaching a soccer team. It can be speaking up for the less fortunate in your area and helping to see them provided for. Your words can impact your community, and as you band together with other believers, you become an integral part of a city on a hill.

Annie Downs is an author who loves helping young people—especially teen girls and young women—overcome the challenges that life puts in the way of their spiritual development. Her most recent book is Speak Love. Follow Annie at her blog, or on Facebook and Twitter.

When I lived in Edinburgh, Scotland, I was often entranced by Edinburgh Castle. Built thousands of years ago when castles weren’t just for show but also for protection and battle, Edinburgh Castle sits high on hill, mostly surrounded by steep cliffs. At night, no matter where you are in the city proper, the lights of the castle can be seen.

The night before I moved back to the States, I was wandering aimlessly on the cobblestone streets of the city, listening to some melancholic music and thinking through WHAT IT ALL MEANS. (I don’t often have movie-worthy scenes in my everyday life, so when one presents itself like this, I milk it.) I stopped behind the pizza place off Princes Street and looked up to the castle, knowing this night view was my last.

It was the first time I really understood what Jesus meant when He talked about a city on a hill in Matthew.

“You are the light of the world. A town built 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 others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.” — Matthew 5:14-16 (NIV)

I’ve pondered over this verse, and what it means for us as believers—to be like Edinburgh Castle, to be a city on a hill when darkness falls all around us. In my book Speak Love, I write about the power of words and how we can use our words to impact those around us. These verses illuminate four main ways we can use our words to positively affect others.

Four ways, Jesus says, that we are to shine:

• Be a light to the world.
• Be a city on a hill.
• Be a lamp on a stand.
• Be a light.

To be a light to the world, we have to speak love to the world. Think big first, He says. It’s like He is taking time to remind us that this story we are living isn’t just about us– don’t just think about the light, think about the world. And thanks to social media and the ability to print content on the WORLD wide web (case in point: this article), we are able to use our words to literally impact the entire world. Whether you want to translate the Bible for tribes who do not yet have it in their native tongue, move to the ends of the Earth to share the Gospel, or use Bible Gateway to understand a new translation of an old favorite verse to share in your writing, impacting the world with our words is easier than it has ever been before.

Don’t underestimate the massive impact your words can have. Ask anyone who has had a blog post or a tweet go viral, for better or for worse. What you assume will be read by a small population can reach a global audience in a disturbingly short amount of time.

Trust God with your words–with their potential and reach. Whether it is one conversation in a coffee shop in India with a young woman who has never heard of Jesus or one blog post that is read by millions, your words matter. You are the light of the world.

Annie Downs is an author who loves helping young people—especially teen girls and young women—overcome the challenges that life puts in the way of their spiritual development. She’s the author of Speak Love: Making Your Words Matter (Zondervan, 2013). Follow Annie at her blog, or on Facebook and Twitter.