Being a light to the world

Jesus called his disciples the "light of the world". A light is something bright and clearly visible to all. As ambassadors for Christ, do our actions accurately reflect our Saviour? In Layman's terms, do we practise what we preach??

Light is an attribute of both God and Jesus Christ. Jesus used light to exhort his disciples. During his sermon on the Mount he said, "You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lamp stand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven." Matthew 5:14-16

We present day disciples of Christ also need to take this exhortation seriously. We true followers need to be a light to the world. Christ links light with an instruction to produce good work which is evident to others and will bring glory to God.

"But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in you is darkness, how great is that darkness!" Matthew 6:23

"Therefore take heed that the light which is in you is not darkness." Luke 11:35

The warning in these two scriptures is quite clear - any light shining out of us must be the true light of God, not darkness which comes from the devil. Darkness happens when our actions do not match our words. We may profess a certain behaviour or thought to others but then do the exact opposite ourselves. This is blatant hypocrisy.

For many of us, the place where we most need to be a light is in our workplace. A classic example of light versus darkness would be: Christmas time. A colleague who knows you are a Christian asks why we celebrate Christmas. You reply from a biblical stance, as comes natural to you. You go on to share Christian values and beliefs on a light level. That night, at the work's Christmas party you are seen sharing dirty jokes, using foul language and acting in a drunken, promiscuous way. Your colleague will make a very accurate assumption from this that you are a hypocrite. To honour God and give our His light, our behaviour, speech and actions must reflect what we believe. We absolutely must practise what we preach. Taking care with these aspects of our behaviour, ensuring that our light is the light of God will ensure that we don't bring shame on his Holy name.

As humans, we have no light of our own. So where does the light that we shine come from? It comes from God. Our Creator works in us. He works in our hearts and minds if we allow him to. We must be proactive in putting in effort to obey God, striving to live according to His will.

When we follow God's guidance in how we live, we are showing others that God has devised the best way of life, the only way that works. In this way, we are reflecting the light of God, His light and His glory and bringing honour to Him.