Are you a light to those around you? Jesus Christ made many bold claims – one of which was:
Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life. (John 8:12, emphasis added)
This is not like a light we have at home for when it gets dark or even like the sun that lights up our day which are both physical lights. Jesus is referring to spiritual light, He is the only source of spiritual truth available to us!
I am come a light into the world, that whosoever believeth on me should not abide in darkness. (John 12:46)
As believers, we are told we will not walk in spiritual darkness but also that we will have the light of life!
In the book of Hebrews, Jesus is described in the following way:
Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high (Hebrews 1:3, emphasis added)
“the brightness” here is from the Greek word “apaugasma”. Strong’s definition of this is “a light flashing forth (from), radiation, gleam”. This is light coming from Jesus, brightness is radiating from Him! Jesus said that we should have this light too! Do you honestly feel like you have a light radiating from you?
We live in a dark world, that is getting darker each day. As believers, we are told not to conform to the patterns of this world and to put God first instead of our usual self. This means we are to be an example of God to others:
Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth 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 which is in heaven. (Matthew 5:14-16, emphasis added)
It has been given to us for a reason – it should shine through our hearts and express itself through our lives, it can draw others to the true Light. Are we allowing that light to shine through into our lives? Do we make choices/decisions based on the Holy Spirit’s guidance?
Putting God’s will first in our lives is not always easy, we are in the midst of an ongoing spiritual battle – Satan attempts to dampen the light as much as possible to discourage us from speaking out for Jesus. We are not saying all believers should stand on busy streets or in shopping centres shouting quotes from the Bible (although this is the calling of some). However, if we do allow God to be the central player in our lives, we will find ourselves in situations where He wants us, this is where the light within us will naturally shine.
These situations could happen any time; at work, walking down the street, or God could even bring someone to our homes. So our light needs to be continually shining! This means living a life that is pleasing to God so we will not be caught ashamed or embarrassed because of a decision that put ourselves first.
As we said, this is not always easy, we all have our own struggles which is why the spiritual light is also our armour:
The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light. (Romans 13:12)
Putting on the armour of God (Ephesians 6) should be done daily to help protect us in the spiritual battles.
We each live different lives with a unique network of people we interact with – maybe there is a reason for this? It does take courage to make changes to our lives to be more pleasing to God and speak out about Jesus. We have to swim against the tide in this world as our fallen nature and the oppressive world around us will always try to pull us into the strong current of an unbelieving world. We are called to be a light that should shine before us as a witness to those around us.
Jesus Christ died on the cross and resurrection should be a powerful incentive and constant reminder if we are lacking courage. The Holy Spirit is your guide, allow yourself to be lead and shine brightly with every step you take.
For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light (Ephesians 5:8)
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