July 18th: A City on a Hill

I don’t usually bring politics into these posts—and I don’t intend to start now—but yesterday, I stumbled on a quote in an Instagram reel from President Ronald Reagan that stopped me in my tracks.

He said: “We’ve stood, again and again, for the idea that the United States is a shining city on a hill—an example to the world of what freedom, faith, and virtue can look like.”

Now, no matter where you land politically, that imagery should sound familiar. It didn’t start in a campaign speech—it started in the words of Jesus.

“You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden.” - Matthew 5:14 (ESV)

That phrase—city on a hill—wasn’t about nations, elections, or platforms. It was about us! Like WHAT!

Lately, I’ve felt convicted about just how easy it is to blend in. To mirror the world instead of being a light in it. To shy away from living differently because it’s more comfortable to just…fit.

But Jesus never called us to fit. He called us to stand out—not with arrogance, but with authenticity. To shine—not to draw attention to ourselves, but to draw attention to Him.

And if you’re like me, you know it’s easy to forget that. It’s easy to complain about how dark the world seems while quietly letting your own light grow dim. Sometimes you don’t catch it until it is flickering.

What if this week, you and I actually lived like a city on a hill? What if our words, our choices, our attitudes, even our social media, reflected something higher? What if we let our faith set us apart—not to divide, but to invite?

We’re not here to win popularity contests. We’re here to point people to the King.

So here’s my prayer for all of us: That we would be the kind of people who shine in dark places. That our lives would be marked by joy, by conviction, and by the kind of love that makes the world stop and wonder.

I hope you all have a great day, and God bless.

-Brady Baker