A Light of The Light

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The sun rose in a brilliant blue sky this first morning of a new year.

Light.

How appropriate to this:

“In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters. And God said, ‘Let there be light,’ and there was light. God saw that it was good…” (Genesis 1:1-3).

We just finished celebrating the first coming of THE light—Jesus Christ—the One of whom the prophet spoke when he said: “The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned” (Isaiah 9:2).

Our Lord, speaking of Himself, said this: “When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, ‘I am the light of the world. Whoever follows will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life’” (John 8:12).

THE Light passes on His glow to those who follow Him.

The world was a place dark with sin when the Saviour arrived to light its blackest corners. It still is a dark place. And even now, on the first day of the new year, even the most positive among us knows that the evil among us and in us will not take long to reveal itself.

In John 9:5, Jesus said: “While I am in the world, I am the light of the world.”

He was. But Jesus returned to heaven and left us, those who, because of His grace, mercy and forgiveness, follow Him, are charged with the duty of reflecting the light He left in us.

“You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.” (Matthew 5:14-16).

Perhaps we didn’t do such a good job last year at being light in a dark world. Perhaps we didn’t live always in a way that would reflect truthfully THE Light, Jesus. Perhaps we didn’t speak the Truth in love as THE Light, Jesus, would have. Perhaps we hid who we are in Christ from someone who needed to see a real believer, not an imitator of the world.

But today is a new day—the first day of the new year. Perhaps today is the moment to stop and covenant with God to be a brighter light, the light that He meant us to be in a world stumbling around in the dark.

Even a candle, small and flickering, makes a difference.