[You may listen to an old recording of this song here. Get a free PDF of the lead sheet here.]
Where are you gonna strike your match?
Where are you gonna strike your match?
Will you strike it in the warmth of a well lighted church
Or take it to the cold and dark outside?
If you light your candle in a warm, bright room,
Few will even notice it’s there.
But take that candle outside and build a fire,
And those who’re cold and lost will feel the flame.
Where are you gonna strike your match?
Where are you gonna strike your match?
Will you strike it in the warmth of a well lighted church
Or take it to the cold and dark outside?
Take it outside.
About This Song:
Some years ago when Dr. Keith Parks was President of the Foreign Mission Board (now the International Mission Board), he gave the chapel devotional that inspired this song.
It seems pretty simply at first, but–when you think about it–this song isn’t about matches and candles. It’s about sharing the love of God with other people. Particularly those who need it most because they’re lonely, depressed, or suffering bad circumstances and don’t know how much God wants to comfort them. Those are the people who’re “freezing” outside in the darkness. They may or may not ever voluntarily come into the warmth of the church seeking help.
While the Bible says we need to minister to one another within the Body of Christ (i.e., the church), we’re also supposed to reach out to others in need. No matter how lovingly we treat our fellow believers, we’re just lighting candles inside a warm, bright building when we do that.
We’re also compelled to go outside the church and share the Good News.
It’s outside in the darkness–in the fallen world we move through day in and day out–that the small flame each Christian bears makes such a difference. Where are you lighting your candle–in the warmth and safety of the church or in your daily walk as you encounter people in need?
I write Christian novels as well as songs. The two most recent ones are shown below and their pictures are links to the Amazon pages. The eighteen-book picture is a link to my Amazon Author Page.
I’ll be back again next Wednesday. Please join me then. Better still, sign up to receive these weekly posts by email.
Best regards,
Roger
Links you might be interested in:
As I Come Singing. . . 
