YOU ARE THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD
In Matthew 5:14, Jesus Christ said: ”You are the light of the world…”. He uttered this statement to describe His disciples, as part of His Historic Sermon on the Mount. Even though many people believe that He is dead right, the question remains, why did He describe them as such? Well, we shall soon find out but before then, let us look at some points around light so that we can understand Him better.
Light is an electromagnetic radiation which is visible to the human eye. While its primary source is the Sun, it’s others sources include lightning, meteors, volcanoes, lasers, floodlights, light bulbs, lamps, lightsticks, lanterns, touches and candles.
It is, for many reasons, a hugely valuable add-on to the world. For instance, it abolishes darkness and enhances visibility. It also hampers antisocial behaviours thus making human settlements safer to live in. The disciples of Jesus Christ were also very valuable to the world in their own time. They preached to the people, taught them, supported them, fed them, comforted them, healed them, delivered them from bondage, risked their lives for them and above all, led them to Christ. Without a shred of doubt, they shed light on the best way the world ought to take care of people. I am therefore not surprised, that Jesus Christ tagged them ‘the light of the world’ and I agree with Him 100%.
Many people these days, having been saved and doing well for God also qualify to be called lights of the world. And Apostle Paul validated this position as follows: ”For once you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord …” (Ephesians 5:8). However, they must demonstrate the following characteristics of light, among others, at all times if they want to continue doing well on earth.
1. Brightness.
All useful lights must be bright enough to make people see well and to get tasks accomplished readily. Equally, all the lights of the world must be bright enough to make the task of attracting people to God accomplished readily. Jesus Christ corroborated this view in Matthew 5:16 by saying: ”Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven”.
2. Colour.
The natural light is made up of seven lovely colours viz. red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo and violet. Meanwhile, colours do add value to things. Likewise, Jesus will colour (i.e. add value to) all the lights of the world if they abide in Him. He made allusion to this viewpoint in John 15:7 like this: ”If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you”.
3. Temperature.
Every light carries in it, a measure of heat energy. And the brighter it is, the more heat energy it carries and the hotter it becomes. Similarly, the brighter any light of the world is, the hotter (or more fervent) he or she will become for use by Jesus Christ. However, if he or she does not shine brightly then, his or her temperature will fall, and Jesus will have no choice than to do away with him or her (Revelation 3:15-16).
How then can I become a light of the world and how can I shine brightly henceforth you may wish to ask? Well, the starting point is by accepting Jesus Christ into your life as your personal Lord and Saviour, if you haven’t yet. And if you have done so earlier, but you are not very happy with your relationship with Him at the moment, please consider rededicating your life to Him immediately. Then, with Jesus Christ in your heart and God’s word in your mouth, go out and show love to people. Visit them, talk to them, help them, feed them, clothe them, defend them, give them hope and most importantly, preach Jesus to them. And the more you do these, the brighter your light will shine before men, the more Jesus will use you and the more He’ll reward you fittingly at the end of the day (Matthew 25: 31-40). May you be found worthy of use in His sight at all times in Jesus name. Amen.
Jesus is Lord!
c Adedayo Stoney Adegbulu, 2012
