The Light of Life

“In Him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind.” John 1:4

You don’t light light. You just show light. You just uncover it. You just make sure there is nothing obstructing it from view. In Matthew 5:14 Jesus said, “A town built on a hill cannot be hidden.” Every follower of Jesus Christ has the light of Jesus in them. We are to be lighthouses, not dark houses. We are to be like a city built on a hill.

The word “built” literally means, “to be placed or planted.” In the 1^st Century, when Jesus originally said these words, they didn’t have bulldozers like we have today, so cities were built one layer over another. If a city was invaded and burned down and destroyed, they would simply take down all of the rubble and use it as a foundation and build the next city on what was previously destroyed. Eventually, cities would be built on hills. Whether you went to the city in the daytime, with the sunlight shining off the white limestone of the houses, or at nighttime when the houses were lit by candles or torches, the city could be easily seen.

Just like a city would be placed or built on a hill that is exactly what God does with us. It is not a coincidence that you work in your particular office or that you live in your particular neighborhood or you go to your particular school or you play on a particular team. Everywhere you are God has put you…like a city on a hill to shine the light of the Gospel.

We are not to put our light under a bowl. When God saves us He saves us to shine. God has not sent us into our dark neighborhoods, offices, and schools to just sit in the darkness with everyone else. We are to show others where the light is, Who the light is, and how to come to the light. There are so many ways you can show your light. You can do it by bowing your head at a restaurant and praying for your meal, by asking your server how you can pray for them, or by putting a Bible on your desk at work.

I am not asking you to shine your light in someone’s face all the time. I do not mean that we should be overbearing, pushy, or obnoxious. I simply mean in your everyday walk and your everyday talk you should take advantage of every God-given opportunity to let people know that the light of the world lives in you…and you simply want to show them that light.

Dear Lord, what a gift your light is to overcome the darkness we face in this world. I know it is your desire for everyone to experience that light and to come out of the darkness. So please give me the opportunity to shine my light for others so that they might be curious about you and drawn to you. In Jesus' name, amen.