The other day, as I was walking through my house, a burst of sunlight revealed what would not ordinarily be revealed on the hallway floor, which was mostly dog hair. In normal light, unless I choose not to vacuum for several days, you cannot see the bits of dog hair along the wall. But when a burst of sunlight hits it, every bit of hair and every speck of dust reveals itself to anyone who has eyes to see.
It’s kind of disturbing because I want my house to be clean. I am not a neat freak (I wish I was more of one) but I don’t want to have a dirty house. But the sunlight reveals dirt I don’t even know is there.
Light is an interesting thing because it has several different functions.
Light reveals. It reveals the truth about any situation. It exposes the darkness and shows the reality of things as they are.
Light awakes. When the sun comes up, we naturally awake. When it’s dark we sleep. It is how God designed our bodies to work.
Light guides. If we are on a dark path in the woods at night, a flashlight or lantern guides our steps.
It is interesting to me how many references there are to light in scripture. As we keep these functions above in mind, let’s take a look at some of them.
For thou wilt light my candle:
the LORD my God will enlighten my darkness. (Psalm 18:28)
I form the light, and create darkness:
I make peace, and create evil:
I the LORD do all these things. (Isaiah 45:7)
He revealeth the deep and secret things: he knoweth what is in the darkness, and the light dwelleth with him. (Daniel 2:22)
—The Lord is the source of ALL light; He is the source of ANY light. He is what fills the darkness of our world with light. He is the only source of true light.
Thy word is a lamp unto my feet,
and a light unto my path. (Psalm 119:105)
The entrance of thy words giveth light;
it giveth understanding unto the simple. (Psalm 119:130)
But the path of the just is as the shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day. (Proverbs 4:18)
—God’s Word gives us the light we need in order to take our next step and to discern truth from lies.
The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light:
they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined. (Isaiah 9:2)
Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life. (John 8:12)
–JESUS is the light of the world.
And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved. But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God. (John 3:16-20)
–In our flesh, we hate the light. It exposes our sin and our love for the world. It shows the depravity of our hearts and it shows our pride. The TRUE JESUS of the Bible reveals who we really are (as opposed to the fake “nice guy” Jesus who doesn’t care a wit about sin and worldliness in your life and is there to just help you along and fix your problems.)
Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil;
that put darkness for light, and light for darkness;
that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter! (Isaiah 5:20)
And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. (2 Corinthians 11:14)
–We can be deceived in regards to the light. Satan masquerades as light, when he is really darkness. And great groups of people can call something light that is NOT light. I am not sure there is any more important point in this post than this. We can be deceived. Satan will use the name of Jesus and he will use biblical terms to give the appearance of “light”. Popular opinion may call something “light” that is NOT light. We must refer back to the verses that remind us that our only litmus test for determining what is actually light is the Word of God.
Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men. Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. (Matthew 5:13-15)
The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light. (Romans 13:12)
–We are the light of the world through our relationship with Jesus Christ. We put a bushel over our light by living sinful, worldly lives that look just like everyone else around us. Our light will shine so brightly when we cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light. We can find out more about our armor of light in Ephesians 6:10-20.
Okay, so that’s just a bit about LIGHT in scripture. I feel like this is a bit disconnected because there’s so much more that could be written about the light from scripture. But, for the sake of length, I will stop here.
Now, let me tell you why this particular subject has been on my heart…
I am noticing a disinterest in the LIGHT. It’s as if the light only matters if it goes with what is wanted or desired. So if a current narrative or popular philosophy suits a professing Christian’s fancy, they will turn from the light of the Word without nary a blink. If the psychological gobbledygook or the therapist’s worldly explanation makes them feel less guilty and more validated, the true Light is rejected. If a certain political candidate or a certain lifestyle or a favorite preacher or author shows itself to be filthy (false, wrong) when looked at through the Light of the Word, the Light is conveniently and simply IGNORED.
The Jesus of the Bible (our Savior!) is the LIGHT and God’s Word is the LIGHT. And our attitude about this wonderful LIGHT, given to us as a precious gift, is very telling. While we can grow defensive or be naive or waiver for a while, we cannot stay there and still call ourselves a Christian. The Word is what God has given us as a light to navigate this world of darkness. If we don’t care a bit about the Word of God, we must ask ourselves if we are really saved?
At this point in time, I know I am “preaching to the choir”. If you are here, you most likely know all this. And if you don’t agree, you will simply unsubscribe and that will be the end of that.
But, at the end of the day, it is so unimportant what I write or say or what my opinion is. It just doesn’t matter. The ONLY thing that matters is our opinion regarding the LIGHT of this world, as revealed in scripture.
May we wear the armor of light, so that we can be lights in this world for Christ. May we recognize that there is false light and that just because someone says it is “light” does not mean it IS light. And may we recognize that the only way to live in the light is through God’s Word, which has been given to us specifically for this purpose.
May we long to live in the LIGHT, no matter the cost.
Thank you very encouraging.