Several recent discussions and
sermons have reminded me of these Scriptures:
“I am the light of the world. Whoever follows Me will not
walk in darkness, but will have the light of life” (John 8:12b).
“You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill
cannot be hidden... In the same way, let your light shine before others, so
that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in
heaven” (Matthew 5:14, 16).
“Do all things without grumbling or disputing, that you
may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of
a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world”
(Philippians 2:14-15 ESV).
John the Baptist is introduced
in John 1:7-8 by saying, “He came as a witness, to bear witness about the
light, that all might believe through him. He was not the light, but came to
bear witness about the light.” In many ways, the same could be said about every
Christian. We are to bear witness about the Light of the World. We are to be
conduits of His light in this dark world. I wonder how we’re doing these days?
In many situations it seems easier to hide the light in order to avoid conflict
with unbelievers. Yet there are other topics unrelated to our faith where we
embrace conflict just to state our own opinions. It seems a bit incongruous,
no?
I believe we could all be more
effective bearers of the light, and perhaps the first step is to learn to be
“quick to listen and slow to speak” (James 1:19). As nice as social media can
be, the biggest problem is that it makes us all quicker to speak and less
likely to actually listen. We feel compelled to like, comment, or share posts
without considering whether it is wise or helpful to do so. Since it is true
that there is “a time to keep silence, and a time to speak” (Ecclesiastes
3:7b), we all need to slow down and ask which time it is.
Another aspect of bearing the
light is revealed in Ephesians 2:10: “For we are His workmanship, created in
Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk
in them.” We are all called to good works that God has prepared for each of us.
Some of those works are fairly routine—providing for our family members by
earning a living, praying for one another, participating in a local church and
supporting its ministries. Some good works may be a bit more radical—moving overseas
as a missionary, loving our enemies, simplifying our lifestyle in order to
commit more resources to ministry. There are all sorts of Christian good works
and each life will be a little different.
The real question is whether an
unbeliever would see anything unusual about your life that would point them to
the light of Christ. Can they tell that you are not just a good person but a
faithful Christian? As the old saying goes, “If being a Christian were a
criminal offense, would there be enough evidence to convict you?” Or how many
of us would dare to say with the Apostle Paul, “Join in imitating me, and keep
your eyes on those who walk according to the example you have in us”
(Philippians 3:17)?
Since the New Year is often a
time for evaluating our lives and making changes, I would suggest that
prayerful consideration should be given to how to let God’s light shine through
us in the year ahead.
“Remember your leaders, those who spoke to you the word of God. Consider
the outcome of their way of life, and imitate their faith” (Hebrews 13:7).
© 2019 Dawn
Rutan. Unless otherwise indicated all images are copyright free from
pixabay.com. The opinions stated do not necessarily reflect the views of
my church or employer.
