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10. You Are the Light of the World!
Jesus did not live exalted and remote from His followers. On the contrary, He was humble, sharing with them His love and wisdom. By telling them, “You are the light of the world” (Matthew 5:14), He gave them a special privilege. The Christian by nature is not righteous in himself and is no better than the Hindu, the Muslim, the Jew or the Animist. Being justified through the blood of the crucified One and being filled with the Holy Spirit bestows on each believer in the Savior the privilege of being called a child of God. Thus, in Christ he becomes a light to the world.
The word “Christ” means “Anointed with the Spirit of God”. Jesus was always filled with the Holy Spirit, because He was born of this same Holy Spirit. In this way He was able to redeem the world. As for true Christians, they are anointed with the Holy Spirit, not because they were born into a Christian family or because they received Christian teaching. All these things do not make a genuine Christian. Rather, after repentance and faith in Christ, such a person becomes a child of God. It is then that he puts on the new man, who is born of God in righteousness, holiness and truth. Jesus declared to His followers the goal of their life by saying:
The saved Christian resembles a small mirror, which reflects the rays of the sun. Whereas the mirror is unable to contain all the light of the sun, it is still able to reflect all it can absorb of its light to its dark surroundings. Whoever looks at the sun’s rays reflected in a small mirror is dazzled by its brightness.
In the same way each Christian has the privilege to reflect the love of Christ, His joy and His peace to others. For the patience of Christ, His kindness, goodness, meekness and purity are the fruit of the Holy Spirit, which every Christian is expected to live out, to diffuse and to reflect into his environment. Life lived with such power does not need many words, because the language of love is one which every person understands.
I wonder what the neighbors and servants and friends see in your life? Are you a clear mirror reflecting the light of Christ?
The love of Christ does not lead us to boast or brag about ourselves, because through Him we have received the right of sonship. From Him we obtain the power of a life lived in the Holy Spirit. Thus, the believer does not seek glory for himself, because everything he does is the result of the operation of the Spirit of the Lord who dwells in him. His life then becomes one of praise and thanks to the one who redeemed him and bestowed salvation on him.
Christians are not conquered slaves of God, and do not bow before Him in fear and trembling, but serve Him with joy and gladness all the days of their life. Their motivation is not fear but love.
The Apostle Paul described the second birth and Christian behavior in the following words:
In these two verses the apostle Paul makes it clear that followers of Christ have a past and a present in their life. Their past was when they were surrounded by darkness, filled with iniquity and malice, but now they are cleansed by the blood of Jesus, urged on by His mercy and illuminated by His light, so that they can be established in Him without fear. They know that neither hardship nor persecution nor death can pluck them from His hand. Paul the apostle called them children of light, because Christ, who illuminates them, is the Light of the world.
Neither high degrees nor a life of asceticism nor mental discipline can change a person. Only the Spirit of God can create in him a new being. Since man is by nature a sinner, this regeneration cannot be accomplished in his own strength, but by the power of God’s Word and through His Holy Spirit.
The birth of a man by the Light of Christ is not the ultimate aim in God’s plan of salvation. His goal is rather the growth of the believer until the fruits of the light are seen in his character. Paul, in this connection, mentions goodness, righteousness and truth as being characteristics of God’s light. All of humanity longs for these qualities to the point where some who adhere to certain creeds and ideologies try to find them in man himself. It is useless! The life of God does not inhabit those who are dead in sins and iniquities. Only Christ can give light to your life and grant you the ability to live for truth, purity and love. He helps you to be free from selfishness, and teaches you to care for others, to bear them without grumbling, and to serve and forgive them.
An important part of the new life in Christ is a wise and clear testimony to Jesus before unbelievers. The living Lord entrusted His messenger Paul with the task of opening the eyes of the Gentiles, so that they would turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to the living God. Do you know that the small flame from a burning match can, on a dark night, be seen as far away as three kilometers? Your life, your words and prayers are a shining testimony and a light in the darkness, which cannot be hidden. That is why God calls you to be faithful in the small things, and pass the light, which is in you to others.
Pray to Jesus to send you to someone who is hungry for righteousness; listen to the yearning of his heart and you will appreciate his problems. At the same time listen to the voice of God’s Spirit to hear what He wants you to say to this person. Be obedient and faithful. Pray that the eyes of your relatives and friends may be opened to see Jesus the Savior and leave their sins. Pray for them continually that the light of Jesus will shine through your life. He alone can illuminate the deepest depths of darkness and make the black heart white, whiter than the snow on the mountain peaks. Every true Christian has the privilege of inviting his brother man to eternal life. You can be a lighthouse in the darkness and a help to others.
One must admit that witnessing and serving Christ is not welcome in some quarters. Sooner or later we shall find opposition and persecution. The enthusiasm of the voluntary worker slackens and discouragement sets in. Then his spiritual life begins to become more and more lukewarm. For this reason, the apostle Paul warns us and encourages us to watch and pray so we can discern between good and evil. Then we will call evil evil, and we will follow goodness in practice. Study the inspired word with diligence and you will gain wisdom to serve your God.