Have you ever walked into a room and immediately felt the darkness present? Have you noticed that some people seem to naturally gravitate towards you like a magnet, while others seem to be instantly repelled? Does it feel as if some people dislike you for no apparent reason? If you answered ‘yes’ to any of those questions, fret not. There’s nothing wrong with you. The thing that is pushing people either toward or away from you is the light of Christ within.
Jesus Christ is the light! He said so in God’s Word. In John 8:12, he said “I am the light of the world!” This is a simple, yet incredibly huge statement of truth. But here’s the fantastic piece that you and I should be jumping up and down about; we are his brothers and sisters. So we have inherited his light. Like a moth to a flame, some people will recognize your light and want to be in it themselves. Others who fear being exposed will be repelled by it. They are more comfortable staying in the darkness and because satan has blinded them, they are fearful of the light. 2 Corinthians 4:4 (NLT) says, “Satan, who is the god of this world, has blinded the minds of those who don’t believe. They are unable to see the glorious light of the Good News. They don’t understand this message about the glory of Christ, who is the exact likeness of God.”
We should be so very thankful to Heavenly Father that the blinder was removed from our eyes about His goodness, and now we see His glorious light through His Son, Jesus Christ! There are so many people that do not know the Lord, but this can change because we have been called by Christ to share His light with others. We can tell them about the good news of Jesus Christ.
People are really hurting and sometimes an encouraging word can lead them down the right path. This is one of the reasons why it is important for us to stay close to God, so that we can hear His voice when He tells us to be especially kind to someone, or to help a person that others may have overlooked.
Because of Christ, we are lights. Jesus said about us in Matthew 5:14 (NLT), “You are the light of the world—like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden.” Jesus wasn’t trying to give us a swelled head and make us feel more important than we should. He was informing us of our identity, and at the same time, he was giving us a commission—a task to carry out. What does light do? Light dispels darkness. Light illuminates. Light brings clarity and peace in the midst of confusion. This is what we are called to do!
We have the distinct privilege to introduce light and love to not just people in our families, but to those that are attracted by our light. And with this great privilege comes great responsibility. In Matthew 5:13(NLT), Jesus Christ also called us the ‘salt of the earth’. Then he asked, “But what good is salt if it has lost its flavor?” Our responsibility is to keep ourselves flavorful. The way to keep our salt salty and our light shining brightly is to do the Will of God. It is to live by His Word. We must keep ourselves flavored with the truth, and not get sidetracked from what God has called us to be and do.
We make mistakes. We’re not perfect, and we’re not always going to get everything right, but 1 Samuel 16:7 tells us, “The Lord doesn’t see things the way you see them. People judge by outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” Because of the finished work of Christ, when God looks at us, the light of Christ is what He sees. He doesn’t see our mistakes, missteps, and mishaps. He doesn’t see the stuff we’ve done in the past. He sees the light of His Dear Son, and when the intent of our heart is to please God and bring Him glory, we’ll keep that light shining bright. We won’t hide it like those that have not fully embraced the light or don’t know Christ.
In Mathew 5:15-16(NLT), Jesus said “No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father.” He encourages us to put our lives on high beam. Even though we’re imperfect, we are being perfected through Christ, and when we come out in the open with the intent to shine through his love, people will notice and God will receive the glory.
Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
“You Are the Light of Christ”, written by JMack. 4theChristianMan.Com© 2018. All rights reserved. All praise and honor to God through Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior.