Wednesday, November 12, 2014

The Weight of Light


“Remind the people to be subject to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready to do whatever is good, to slander no one, to be peaceable and considerate, and to show true humility toward all men.”- Titus 3:1-2

When Christ referred to His followers as “light”, I am sure they took it as a pretty deep metaphor. They probably saw it as a great use of words to describe them sharing the truth in a land filled with lies. They wouldn’t have been wrong if they took it like that, but I think if that is all we see it as, we miss the weight of the words Christ was using.

Being light to a dark world is a heavy task. It is not something to take “lightly” (pun intended). There is something more to the words than merely being a carrier of truth, but someone who lives the truth as well.

Christ tells His people “You are the light of the world…let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.” The weight isn’t found in the beginning of the message, but the end. Our light should shine so people will end up praising our Father in heaven!
This bears more weight than I believe we care to think.

Our image is not our own. Our image is Christ’s. When we fail to live in such a way as to shine brightly to bring glory to His name, then we live selfishly and miss the very reason we are created.
God did not create us so we can gain self-praise, but to gain Him praise. He created us to live in such a way that people will know who He is through our actions.

This is why it is such a heavy task! We are to look beyond ourselves to serve those in need, care for the uncared for, love the unlovable, and live selflessly for His message of hope and love to be realized!

Why is this so heavy? The very thought causes conviction. It forces us to look inside of ourselves and discover how our light has been dim.

Think about how you have treated that customer service rep who couldn’t answer your question right away; the pizza guy who showed up 20 minutes late; the server who was busy with other tables so you treated them like dirt; or the person in the “20 item or less” line with 21 items and they wrote a check to pay!

How about the gossip you tell or status you share with hateful words? You see, that is light being dimmed on so many levels, yet we don’t think about what that does to reflect Christ!

Our image is not our own. The way we treat people reveals our relationship with Christ. Our inability to show grace, mercy, and love in the hard times, reflect our connection with the One who revealed the meaning of those words.

May we strive to be the light to the world we are called to be for God’s glory and seek to reveal His true message in a dark world of lies. May our actions stand out as those who carry a heavy call to unveil the Creator and His message of hope, love, peace, joy, and life to the full.


May our light shine brightly for the world to see His glory!

QUESTION: How have you seen His glory revealed through others?

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