The Light of the World
While He was on
this earth, the Lord Jesus said… "I
am the light of the world, he that follows Me shall
not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life" (John
According to
Genesis 1:4, the first thing that God created was light. This speaks of its
importance. For thousands of years, before the invention of the electric light bulb,
nights were dark and hardly any work could be done by the light of a candle, or
torch. With the absence of light men
could do no work.
But with the coming of daylight, men awoke from sleep and their work
began.
In a spiritual
sense, Christians should be shining forth Jesus’ Light. After the return of our Lord to His Father,
the church became the light of the world. Jesus, in Matthew 5:14-16, predicted:
"You are the light of the world; a
city that is set on a hill cannot be hid." Are we the light of the
world? Perhaps we take pride in
thinking so; but are we really? A
critical examination of our
thoughts, hopes, plans, words and actions should give us an honest answer.
Surely, the Lord
has enlightened us with the knowledge of God's marvelous Divine Plan, opening
to us a wide window revealing vast horizons not known by many in ages past. I am
not speaking of scientific or technological knowledge or any kind of worldly
knowledge. I mean the spiritual
revolution that has discarded Dark Age beliefs, doctrines and theories of
men, and instead adopted the beautiful old truths concerning our Loving God, our
all-sufficient Savior and the future of both Christians and the entire world of
mankind.
This wonderful
radiant light should make new Christians of us. We should be true lights, a
city on a hill - seen by all. Are we making good use of this light, of this
splendor revealed through God's Holy Spirit and His Word, which brings love,
wisdom and understanding? Let us each examine ourselves to arrive at an
accurate evaluation.
Our Lord warned
us about light as He did about salt, "Neither do men light a candle and put it under a bushel, but on a
candlestick, and it gives light unto all that are in the house. Let your light
so shine before men, that they may see your
good works and glorify your Father who is in heaven" (Matthew
Are we keeping it
to ourselves, never sharing it, never whispering a word for fear of being
criticized or opposed, or of disturbing others’ religious beliefs, no matter
how wrong? If so, we have done just what the Lord warned us NOT to do, we have
placed our candle under a bushel, giving light to none and leaving others in
darkness. We are then no longer a city built on a hill, seen by all men, but
rather a city built in a dark valley, unseen by all because hidden by the
mountains that surround it. Is this what we want?
The Apostle Paul exhorts
us with these words, "Awake you that
sleep, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give you light"
(Ephesians
His Lamp Am I
“His lamp am I - to shine where He shall say;
And lamps are not for sunny rooms,
Nor for the light of day;
But for the dark places of this earth,
Where shams and wrong and crime have birth,
Or for the murky twilight gray
Where wandering sheep have gone astray,
Or where the lamp of faith grows dim
And souls are groping after Him.
And as sometimes a flame we find,
Clear-shining, through the night
So dark we cannot see the lamp -
But only see the
light -
So
may I shine - His Love the flame,
That men may see
and glorify His Name.”
Annie Johnson Flint