I am one of those people that only likes darkness for sleeping. As a child, I hated the darkness. I would do almost anything to avoid it. We lived on a farm, and almost everything that went into our mouths was from the farm. The drink of choice for the family was milk. My mom milked several gallons a day, and it was served at each meal. I hated milk! When the evening meal was served, there was always a glass at each plate. We didn’t grow up complaining about what we liked or didn’t like, if it was on the table you were expected to eat it or drink it without a comment about your dislike. I would sit at the table knowing I would have to drink my milk before I could leave the table. Mom would wash the dishes and clean the kitchen, while I sat and abhorred the thought of drinking my milk. Just as she was sweeping up the last bit of crumbs from the floor, I would gulp down what was now hot milk, because I knew the next thing on her agenda was to turn off the light and exit the kitchen. The only thing I hated worse than milk, was sitting in the dark! Guess what, I still don’t like the dark or milk.
Today’s devotion is about light. Not just a light that will illuminate the darkness of a room, but will illuminate the whole world. This light is Jesus. This is another one of his “I Am” statements that I have explained in the devotion, “I Am the Bread of Life.” It is a statement that the Jews knew made him equal with God the Father. They understood the symbolism of light. When they were on the wilderness journey, God led them by a pillar of fire at night. He was their light guiding them safely to the promised land. In the courtyard of the temple, each evening there were two giant candelabras, called Menorahs, that had many-branched candlesticks, and they were lighted to illuminate the whole temple courtyard. As Jesus spoke the words in John 8:12, he was using this lighting as a symbol to make His point of who he was. The Jewish leaders understood he was not just saying he was the “light” for them but for the whole world. No longer were the Jews the only access to God the Father.
John 8:12 “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.
All throughout scripture darkness represented sin. Darkness is the total opposite of light. In John 11:9, Jesus teaches that walking in the Light leads them safely, but walking in the darkness causes men to stumble. This darkness represented those walking without Christ.
John 11:9-10 “Jesus answered, Are there not twelve hours in the day? If any man walk in the day, he stumbleth not, because he seeth the light of this world. But if a man walk in the night, he stumbleth, because there is no light in him.”
In the next passage, Jesus is teaching them that he must make the most of His time. It would only be about 6 months until His crucifixion. He knew His mission was to illuminate all those he could while He was here. He needed to teach His disciples how to carry on His work. There was coming a time when He would be leaving, and the Light the world would see would be Christ illuminated by those who love Him.
John 9:4 “I must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day: the night cometh when no man can work. As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.”
In Matthew 5:14 – 16, Jesus is teaching us that we are to be the light of the world. Before he left to ascend back to Heaven he gave them the duty of illuminating others as to who he is. They were to go forth and teach what he had taught them. He teaches them their light should be like a city on a hill. It should be so bright all who are around them will see it. They were not to hide it. Hidden light is of no value. There are no secret Christians, if you are truly His, you will be different. When we live out the Light that is within us, others will notice. I have even been able to lead others to Christ because they wanted to know what was so different about me. It wasn’t that I was anything special, but that the light that was within me was special, it was different. One such question was one of sincere desire to know the truth. A young man who worked for me stated that he knew I was a Christian, but that he was one too. He said, “I go to church, I do good works, but there is something different, what is it?” This was the perfect opening to tell Him of the Light within. I merely helped him to understand that the difference was a relationship, not a religion. I had a personal relationship with Jesus. The works that I did were not to gain something but to show my love and appreciation for what I already had. It was not to gain merit or favor with God, in hopes that I could do enough to get to Heaven. Praise God he saw the Light and received that Light.
Matthew 5:14-16 “Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. 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.”
Note, the purpose of allowing our light to shine is not for our glorification. It is so those around us will see and glorify the Father. We are the example to a dark world, of who Jesus is. Most will not pick up a Bible and read looking for answers. However, they do watch us to see how we handle our problems and even our successes. Do we set the example of faithfulness by making church attendance a priority over everything else, such as sports, work, family gatherings, or any other glittering thing Satan throws in front of us? What does the world see differently about you?
It is time we who call ourselves Christians shine brighter than ever before. Darkness is growing and creeping in around us and it’s time to shine! He is the Light others need to see in us.
