“Let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.”(Matt. 5:16)
Dearly beloved,
Greetings in the blessed name of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ who has made us light in this dark world!
Jesus said: “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows Me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life” (Jn.8:12). There is physical light and spiritual light. There can be no physical life without physical light. So also, there can be no spiritual life without spiritual light. By declaring Himself to be the Light of the world, Jesus was claiming that He is the exclusive source of spiritual light and there is no other source for spiritual light available to man. He is the source of the light of the truth, of His Word and of eternal life. Whoever follows Jesus will never walk in spiritual darkness.
Jesus chose us and put His light into our hearts so that we will reflect His light to the people who walk in the darkness of sin. God has made us the light not to draw people to us, (for we have no light of our own to attract people), but that they may see the light and follow Jesus. When people of this world, who walk in darkness, see our good deeds in the light of Jesus, they will glorify our Father in heaven.
God commands that we walk in the light of the truth of the Gospel. True followers of Christ do not walk in darkness. They love the light and try to stay close to it. The light reveals their sins, which helps them to confess and get back to God. “Your word is lamp to my feet and light for my path” (Psa.119:105). We are called to walk in the light and reflect this light to others. When the people walking in darkness see the light, they will be attracted to the real light. The light will expose their sins. God has not made us the light to judge or condemn others. That authority rests with God alone. Even Jesus, when He was in the world, did not condemn anyone. “For God did not send His Son to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him” (Jn.3:17). However, God expects that light to expose the sins of the world so that the sinners can be saved. When the woman caught in adultery was brought before Jesus, seeking permission to stone her to death according to the Law of Moses, He neither condemned the woman nor judged the accusers, but He threw light into their lives. The light exposed their sins and they realised that they were standing before the light that could expose their sins.
“He has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son He loves” (Col.1:13). We must not forget the fact that we were once in the dominion of darkness. Darkness is in our fallen nature, corrupted by the original sin. We lacked the knowledge of God and the fear of God. Darkness is also the realm of death. The Scripture says: “You were once dead in your transgressions and sins.” But, Jesus rescued and brought us into the kingdom of light. After rescuing us from darkness, He deposited His light into our hearts, so that we may shine for Him. “You were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light” (Eph. 5:8). Since God has rescued us from the kingdom of darkness and brought us into this marvellous light, He expects us to live as children of light.
A person walking in spiritual darkness does not know the truth. He is walking blindly in a dangerous path and his life is in danger of being eternally condemned. However, the truth and light of Christ will heal his spiritual blindness and bring him into the eternal kingdom of God.
May God help us to reflect the light of Jesus, so that those who walk in the darkness of sin may receive the light of life!
Yours in Christ
Pastor M. A. Jacob
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