“You are the light of the world—like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden. 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.”
Matthew 5:14-15(NLT)
In earlier Old Testament times, people were very unruly and disorderly. Most did not abide by a sense of do-rightness and they would not hold themselves accountable to law and order. Instead, they did whatever they wanted. People had the ability to make good choices and to do the right thing, but most did not. As one might imagine, wherever there were large groups of people gathered, things could get very chaotic. This was not God’s way.
Our Heavenly Father chose the people of Israel to be His very own people. As time went on, they got themselves in a terrible state, but God helped them. Through His servant, Moses, God led them out of slavery and gave them His laws, the Ten Commandments. These laws were to teach the people God’s nature, so that they would choose to speak, think, and behave like Him. God told them in Leviticus 11:44(NLT), “For I, the LORD, am the one who brought you up from the land of Egypt, that I might be your God. Therefore, you must be holy because I am holy.”
People living during Old Testament times would go back and forth, vacillating in their allegiance to the things of God. They would practice idolatry and turn their backs on God’s laws. Whenever they did this, they faced consequences that were harsh, and they would go long periods of time without hearing from God’s prophets or experiencing the blessings that come from honoring the Lord. The law became a bondage for them because they misused the Lord’s instructions.
When God sent His Son, Jesus Christ, it changed all that. Through Christ, God made salvation through the new birth experience available to us, and He wrote His law on our hearts. John 1:12(NLT) tells us, “But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God.” This is beyond extraordinarily good news, but many people would not accept it then, just as many people will not accept it now. During the time that Jesus Christ walked the earth carrying forth God’s mission, there were groups of his own people that vehemently opposed him. They wanted to go on clutching to the laws of Moses and not fully understanding God’s nature. They would not yield to the new covenant with God that Jesus Christ came to usher in.
Most people chose darkness rather than the light. But for those of us who choose to follow Christ and give our lives to him, we become children of God, and we are reborn of God’s Spirit. John 1:13(NLT) affirms, “They are reborn—not with a physical birth resulting from human passion or plan, but a birth that comes from God.” Because of what Christ accomplished on the cross, God places His Spirit in us, and we are transformed. Our job after our spiritual new birth is to line up our attitudes, thoughts, feelings, and deeds with the example of Christ. As we do this, we will witness the blessings of God.
2Corinthians 4:6(NLT) tells us, “For God, who said, “Let there be light in the darkness,” has made this light shine in our hearts so we could know the glory of God that is seen in the face of Jesus Christ.” Before I accepted Christ, I didn’t know how important it is to let the light of Christ within us shine outwardly. But now that I have studied God’s Word and spent time with Heavenly Father through Jesus Christ, I know that we must make the choice and choose to walk in His love and light. This is what God requires.
Recently, out of the blue, a man approached me and said “Your light shines bright. It’s very apparent you’re not like other people your age.” His compliment touched me so much. Occurrences like these are kisses from God, showing you that He is pleased by the way you wear His love. It wasn’t me or my flesh, it was the light of Christ that he saw in me. This should be our goal every day. We must live in such a way that our light shines in this dark world. We never know who’s watching. We must remind ourselves continually that the light of Christ in us can change someone’s day and make all the difference in a person’s life. ■
Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.
“Let Your Light Shine”, written by KLizzie, edited by Reverend Fran Mack, for Sundie Morning Sistas ©2022. All rights reserved. All done to the glory of God through Jesus Christ, our Lord! SMS is dedicated to inspiring and encouraging Christian Women through the Word of God.