Hi everyone, so this is the final part of this post (if you haven’t had a read of part 1 and part 2, I would advise doing so before carrying on with this). This part is more specifically aimed at Christians, but that by no means imply only Christians can read this post. So read on, reader!
From Night Crawlers to Light Bearers
Now, after we come to God through Jesus Christ, putting our trust wholly in Him for the salvation of our souls, we are transformed from the inside out. This is a spiritual thing, and I cannot presume to be able explain this. However God, through the Bible, teaches that we become new people. We have been rescued, as it were, from the kingdom (or state) of darkness, and made members of the kingdom of God through Christ. We have gone from those who dwell in the night and love the cloak of darkness, to those who relish the warmth and illumination of the light.
After this transformation, we start looking more like the people we were originally created to be: those who enjoy intimate fellowship with their Creator, and live lives of uprightness. With this, we become witnesses to the truth of the Gospel (good news) of Jesus Christ, the hope of a better life, and the light that we now have within us.
“We have gone from those who dwell in the night and love the cloak of darkness, to those who relish the warmth and illumination of the light.”
God, the “Father of Lights”, not only brought us out of our own personal darkness, but gave us His Light to take with us wherever we go that we might shine and expose the darkness all around us. One of the writers of the New Testament of the Bible, the Apostle Paul, puts it this way:
‘You see, we don’t go around preaching about ourselves. We preach that Jesus Christ is Lord, and we ourselves are your servants for Jesus’ sake. 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. We now have this light shining in our hearts, but we ourselves are like fragile clay jars containing this great treasure. This makes it clear that our great power is from God, not from ourselves.’ (2 Corinthians 4:5-7, NLT)
This ‘light’ we bear is the truth we speak, the conduct we practice, and the hope we possess.
No matter how small the light is, it illuminates the area around it. The bigger the light, the farther its illumination, this is true; but no matter how small the light is, it is never overcome by the darkness around it. It might be hard to recognize or notice depending on how potent the darkness is, but surely enough, it is still there. A faint glimpse. A glitter of hope. And that is what the Christian is—or ought to be—to those around him/her. Those living for the glory of God do not shine for their own recognition, but rather to point back to the Source of the light within them. As quoted above, we are but ‘fragile clay jars containing this great treasure’.
“When we open the doors of our lives, the darkness should not come flooding in to extinguish our light, but rather the light inside should go out and shine brightly for all to see.”
As light bearers, we have the responsibility to illuminate the darkness around us, be it through the godly counsel we give, the eternally-minded perspective we have, our conduct according to the Word of God, or simply through the good deeds we do.
‘“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. In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father.’ (Matthew 5:14-16, NLT)
When we open the doors of our lives, the darkness should not come flooding in to extinguish our light, but rather the light inside should go out and shine brightly for all to see.
Just as all flames start from a small spark or ignition, so do the embers we keep burning with us for our Lord. It might not be as big as we would like it to be yet (or indeed, as big as God has planned for it to be), but in time and with careful attention, it shall burn brightly for all to see, to the praise of God the Father. And who knows, God might just use our burning embers to start a fire in another soul!
“Set me like a star before the morning,
Like a song that steals the darkness from a world asleep,
And I’ll illuminate the path You’ve laid before me…” (Audrey Assad, ‘Show Me’)
Amen. Im soo encouraged. Nomatter how small that light is, it still has the capacity to shine and conquer darkness.
Amen! Even though we make mistakes, those who seek to walk faithfully with the Lord carry their lights with them wherever they go ^_^