Who Is The Light?

Here are some quick thoughts on what it means to be a light in this world. I hope the Lord speaks to you.

14"You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. 15Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. 16In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven. Matthew 5:14-16

Jesus is the original light ("I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life." Jn 8:12) that stepped out of heaven into the darkness to give light to all men. Now He says that WE are the light of the world!

Jesus is our example that we need to follow. Jesus stepped out from the comfort of heaven into a dark and dangerous world in order to serve His creation and reveal the heart and character of our Father. Jesus shared meals with prostitutes, touched lepers, forgave sins, and healed hearts, minds and bodies. Jesus met both the spiritual and physical needs of his people. He wasn’t afraid to mix with the lowest of the low. He came to be the servant of all and we too are called to serve. We want to be like you Jesus!

As Jesus served His creation HIs light was shining bright and people saw His good deeds and gave praise to His Father in heaven. Not everyone understood who He really was, but because of His “good deeds" they praised the Father. God was glorified. Some got it later, and others not at all, but Jesus' kindness and practical acts of love drew people toward their heavenly Father.

The ones that did get it had their hearts set ablaze by the Holy Spirit and took up the torch from Jesus to become the light of the world in which they were living. These faithful saints that have gone before us can serve as our example as well.

They are the ones that chose to spend their lives serving their Father by laying down their lives for the lost and dying that Jesus gave his very life for. These are the ones that saw the physical and spiritual needs of a dying world and decided to make a difference with the Grace the Father pours out to all that lay down their lives.

They have changed the world through many acts of kindness. Our predecessors have revolutionized education, medicine, science, history, agriculture, literature, art, music, theology and so much more. In whichever field they were called they gave their lives fully to the Lord and expressed that devotion by serving mankind as Jesus himself did. They caught the heartbeat of God and laid down their lives in order to bring the gospel in word and in deed.

Now the torch has been passed on to us and Jesus tells us to put our light on a stand for all people to see. To take it out from under the basket and hold it up high so that people may see OUR good deeds and praise our Father in heaven. What are the good deeds that the Father has called you to? Who are the lost and dying around you and how can you serve them? What are the needs that God has put in front of you and how can you meet those needs?

You see, this life is not about us. It used to be before we were saved because were self-centered and separated from our Father. But Jesus told us that if you try to save your life you will lose it, but if you lose your life for His sake you will find it. Once we are saved we are supposed to lose ourselves in Jesus so that we can become like Him. And being like Him means living like He did.

Living like Jesus did means being a servant. And becoming a servant means that others need to be the focus of our lives. And focusing on others takes the focus off us. The paradox here is that as we lose our lives we will actually find it. We will be fulfilled and satisfied as we seek to see others fulfilled and satisfied.

As we take up the torch and become the light of the world we can make a difference and actually change the world. By our good deeds we can see the darkness flee and the kingdom of God advance in our days. We, like Jesus can see the captives set free, the blind made to see, the oppressed liberated, the orphans taken in, the hungry filled and the homeless safe in their father’s house.

Jesus has entrusted us with the message of hope and given us His Spirit to carry out the works of His kingdom. We are the ambassadors. We have the message. So, as St. Francis of Assisi said, “preach the gospel at all times, and if necessary use words.”