“You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden.” (Mathew 5:14)
“Jesus spoke to them, saying, ‘I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.’” (John 8:12)
“That you may show yourselves to be blameless and guileless, innocent and uncontaminated, children of God without blemish (faultless, unrebukable) in the midst of a crooked and wicked generation [spiritually perverted and perverse], among whom you are seen as bright lights (stars or beacons shining out clearly) in the [dark] world.” (Philippians 2:15)
I have been pondering these verses for a while. Praying recently, the Lord prompted me to say out loud, “I am the light of the world.” Jesus spoke those words about me and about all who love and follow Him. “I am the light of the world.” It was surprisingly hard, though, to say this truth out loud. The truth is right there in the Word, yet I could barely choke out the words. It felt strange, somehow sacrilegious. But why? I didn’t come up with it or twist Scripture to make it say what I want it to say. Jesus spoke plainly, in red letters: “YOU are the light of the world.”
I believe Jesus is who He says He is. I trust Hi word. I trust Him. Although my mind and emotions can mislead me, I can trust that He is the light of the world. But can I believe and accept what He says about me? I want to. He says I am the light of the world. So, in obedience, I said these words out loud…very timidly. “I am the light of the world.” He prompted me to say it again. So, I said it again. Then again and again and again until my voice was strong and loud. I said it until faith rose up, and I began to believe it!
I AM THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD!
The enemy would SO love us to remember our screw ups and inconsistencies, our failures and hypocrisies and darkness. We have so much that we could beat ourselves up with, and the enemy loves to serve it up to us on a stick. But who do we want to agree with? The accuser has been thrown down (Revelation 12:10). Jesus has given us victory over hell, death, and the grave. He has given us His power and authority over darkness. He told us to GO! “Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the leper, cast out demons” (Matthew 10:8) Why? Because freely we have received His forgiveness and light, and now He wants us to freely give it away. He wants us to shine, with unveiled faces (2 Corinthians 3:18), to reflect His glory and goodness. Jesus gave Himself for us and He wants us to live unapologetically in our oneness with Him (John 17:23). You and I are the light of the world because Jesus is the light of the world!
What does it mean, though, to be the light of the world? Before we can understand that, we need to know that the word “light” in the Greek is phos, a word used to refer to the sun, as opposed to a candle or lamp. We cannot turn off the sun. Phos illuminates the darkness by its very nature. The clouds can cover the sun, but it still shines. We can let the things of this world cloud our joy and make us feel gloomy, but we are still phos. We are still light. We can put a basket over our heads, but we cannot change our phos nature once we have been saved. We are one with Christ. We have a new nature. He illuminates our darkness (Psalm 18:28). To understand that phos cannot be turned off (only covered up or hidden) reinforces the truth that the gifts and callings of God are without repentance (Romans 11:29). He never changes His mind about us. We are the light of the world because He has made us phos in Him.
Another implication of being phos in Him is that we cannot control the on/off switch! We are not light bulbs! To be the light of the world is not about us, and it is not about our own manufactured goodness or our own self-determined wattage. We need to get over ourselves! We need to stop pretending we’re light bulbs. We need to stop trying to control when others see our light. We are not brighter when we are having a good day. We are not brighter when we feel in control or when we are behaving like good Christians. Our light isn’t about us. It’s about the Son!
We are the light of the world because we are one with Jesus. We don’t need to worry about losing our connection. Jesus said whoever follows Him does not walk in darkness, but has Light and Life (John 8:12). Can we believe that we are who He says we are? We are loved. Accepted. Called. Valued. Light. Nothing the enemy throws at us can disconnect us from His love. If we were light bulbs, the enemy could sever the connection. But we are phos in the Lord. Let’s be the light of the world by choosing to walk unashamed and unhidden with the Lord. Let’s allow others to see us growing in joy and freedom, radiating truth and love. Let’s let our light shine so that others may see the good work He’s doing in us, and they will give glory to God (Matthew 5:16).
Join us in believing and declaring OUT LOUD:
“I AM THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD!.”
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