You Are Light Unless You Cover It Up

I love flashlights. When I was a kid they were big and bulky. Over time they started making them smaller. When I was in my 30’s they came out with small, waterproof, pocket-sized flashlights. They were cool to have but weren’t very powerful. I was always on the lookout for a smaller more powerful flashlight. Then in my 40’s they came out with LED flashlights. Now there are many inexpensive small and powerful flashlights. We’ve even got one on our smartphones!

There’s no debating how important light is, especially when you’re in a dark place and you need to see or find something. This has always been true. That’s why Jesus tells us, His followers, that we are light in the world. In Matthew 5:14-15 He says,

You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house.

In a sense every Christ follower is a flashlight in Jesus’ hand. It’s not that we have a flashlight that we shine when we want to. We are Jesus’ light. This is one of those Christian phrases we’ve heard so many times that when we hear it again we yawn. We think,

“We get it. What else can we talk about?”

[Tweet "You are light in the dark world to help those around you see Jesus."]

Let’s not move on. Let’s pause and be reminded what Jesus means when He says this.

6 Aspects Of Christians Being the Light of the World

1. Jesus is the true light John 1:9. It’s His light that shines through us.
2. All Christ followers are light Matthew 5:14. Some might think this is presumptuous to say. If we were saying it of ourselves that would be the case. However, Jesus said it of us. The question isn’t “Is it true?” but “What does it mean?”
3. The world is in darkness John 3:19. This means spiritually as darkness is equated with evil. People who don’t see Jesus for who He really is prefer darkness because it hides their evil deeds. The world needs light.
4. We are light shining in the world for Jesus by what we do Philippians 2:15 and by what we say Matthew 10:26-33. It takes both. [Tweet "We are light in the world by what we do and what we say. It takes both to be light."]
5. When those in darkness see us as light, they see Jesus. Satan works hard to prevent those in darkness from seeing the light of Jesus 2 Corinthians 4:4.
6. We can cover the light of Jesus so it doesn’t shine Matthew 5:15. It’s most natural for us to shine as light as we live following Jesus’ teaching. It’s when we reject His teaching that we cover the light Jesus is trying to shine through us.

Make a bigger difference for Jesus by shining as light for Him today. What do you think? Please leave a comment or question below.