Light of the World

One spring night I awoke to the sounds of severe weather, the howling winds and the shaking cracks of thunder. I reached for the lamp on the nightstand. It was not working. My electricity was off. After grabbing my cell phone for light, I made my way to the breaker box. My attempts were fruitless and it became evident that my cell phone would be my only light until its power was depleted, or my electricity was returned.

I thought to myself, how difficult it would be living in a dark world without light. What if I had to live in constant darkness without light? What if we had to negotiate our way through this world amidst spiritual darkness without the benefit of light?

The Bible says in Isaiah 60:2, “See, darkness covers the earth and thick darkness is over the peoples, but the Lord rises upon you and His glory appears over you.” Jesus says, “This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil.” John 3:19. In other words, the people of this world live in gross darkness and love gross darkness. What could counteract this degenerate dark condition? The only remedy for darkness is the light.

Jesus said, “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.” Matthew 5:14-16.) Jesus’ statement here is not suggestive, but emphatic. As Christians, we are the light of the world. And as light, we must shine.

Jesus made another interesting statement about light: “When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” John 8:12. Jesus said that He was the light of the world, but He also said that we are the light of the world. As Christians, we reflect the light of Jesus. Christians are not the source of light, but merely reflectors of the source, Jesus.

Andrew Brandon, who worked in the jewelry industry for several years (international and domestic) stated: “Diamonds don’t actually produce any light of their own, what you see is simply the diamond’s inherent ability to catch and refract light. Many retailers that offer diamonds produce reports that measure the scintillation, sparkle, brilliance, fire and so on; this is just measuring how efficiently the diamond reflects light.”

The most exquisite diamond in the world would be dull in the shade. We are God’s diamonds, but we need the light to shine. To reflect the light, we must live where the light can reach us. Live in the sunshine of Jesus. Live in the sunshine of Jesus through prayer, through Bible study, through church attendance and you will shine.

I pray that God will shine into my life so that I will reflect His goodness. Shine through me, Lord, I want to be a diamond. Is that your prayer, too?

By Stephen Brooks, Executive Secretary