The Bible tells all Christians to shine for God's glory. The Lord Jesus Himself said this in Matthew 5:16:
"Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven."
When we read this, most of us think only of ways to shine so we can be a blessing to others. While that's a really good thing, we should also learn to think of ways to be a blessing to ourselves. This is pretty easy to understand why we should do that: when we are blessed, it's easy to shine to be a blessing to others.
To help us shine better, here are a few ways we can bless ourselves.
1) Seek God
What are the things that hinder you from seeing God? If there's anything that would cause a perfectly well lit bulb to fail, it's the lack of electricity powering it. That said, we should seek to attach ourselves to our source, God. Jesus said in John 15:4-5,
"Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me. "I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing."
Choose to spend more time with God more than anything else. Dedicate an hour or more a day to reading the Bible and praying to Him. If you can, spend a whole day each week doing just that. If you can, go on a retreat every now and then for the purpose of seeking the Lord in prayer, Bible reading, and worship.
Nothing blesses us more than the One who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in Christ.
2) Throw off anything that hinders
What are the things that hinder or affect your ability to shine for God and for others? Choose to take them off.
Hebrews 12:1-2 tells us that "since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God."
If there's anything that hinders you from living a life of righteousness and holiness in Christ, let it go. Repent of it. Jesus Himself said it with much emphasis:
"If your right eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell. And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell."
3) Rest
Lastly, don't ever forget to take a rest. Some Christians just can't find enough time to rest because they think of doing good things. The passion for doing good is commendable, but the habit of not getting enough rest is dangerous, not to mention crippling if it is too much.
Get some sleep. Turn off that cellphone and that laptop. Don't go out for a day. Lie in bed and sleep well. Psalm 127:2 tells us,
"It is vain for you to rise up early, to sit up late, to eat the bread of sorrows; For so [God] gives His beloved sleep." (emphasis mine)
