Matthew 5:14 - 16 "You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden.
Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house.
In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.
As I read this passage it made me begin to consider what it truly means to be the light of the world. We are not light by nature, nor do we generate light, but in I John 1:5 we are told that "God is light..." This made me consider that we are the light of the world by proxy, meaning we are light in place of God meaning that we merely reflect the light that God shines on us. In Psalm 118:27 we see, "The LORD(YHWH) is God and has made His light shine upon us." We, as believers, reflect the light of God much the same way as the moon reflects the light of the sun and shines that light on the earth.
God is the true light, our lives should reflect that light, as we live and love in obedience to Him. I pondered the sun and moon analogy further and realized that the moon, for the most part shines only at night. In context, the world we live in is plunged in darkness due to sin, we are in a way living in a world of night. The light we reflect form God is the only light in the world right now.
The moon passes through phases in which there are times when it give more light than others. As the moon is positioned in just the right way every month or so, we get a full moon meaning the moon is reflecting the maximum amount of light due to it's position in relation to the sun and the earth. We are the same way. There are times when we reflect maximum light from the Lord and times we reflect very little, if any. The times when we reflect the most are when we are positioned right with God and right in our relation to the world around us. When we are truly pursuing God and fleeing from the draw of sin we give maximum reflection, in other words, we are most effective in christian walk. When we are neglecting our relationship with God, when we are indulging in the pleasures of the flesh our reflective ability is greatly hindered.
My desire is to be a full moon, reflecting maximum light from God, every day. I fail more than I care to admit, but God is just and faithful to forgive me and help me up each time. Let's encourage each other to be the light of the world as we live our lives dedicated to serving the One who saved us. Let us allow God to shine His light on the darkness of this world that we might be a guide to the lost helping them find their way to Jesus.
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