My Light!

My Light!

Matthew 5:16 AMP

[16] Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good deeds and moral excellence, and [recognize and honor and] glorify your Father who is in heaven.

The verse above is taken from the first Sermon of Jesus on the mountain, after He had chosen His disciples. It is to be noted that there was a crowd of people at the foot of the mountain, but He was addressing only the disciples. You can be in the midst of a crowd, but God is able to single you out with a message that is peculiar and personal to you. This was where the disciples were at this time. They did not have the full picture of who this Jesus was, but they knew enough to seek to follow Him. As it was then, so is it now. The Lord is still seeking men who will follow Him wholeheartedly and live out the life that He wants them to have. 

In one of the verses just before the one above, Jesus called the disciples the light. That is a strong picture: light is such that cannot be defined outside of the work it does, and the channel or means by which it is expressed, promoted or produced. There is always a source or channel, and a purpose for the light. In this instance, Jesus is the Light by which we also become the light. It means that there is no light outside of Him. There is no identity outside of Jesus. It is important that I sort out my identity and allegiance. This determines what I have access to. If Jesus is the Light, and I am in Him, I have access to all that He is and has.

As light, I cannot be hidden or ignored. Light is such that it may be taken for granted, but it will definitely be missed when it is absent. I have to be such a person. Even if I am not conscious of it, my identity in Christ makes it difficult for me to hide. People are watching me very closely; they may not want to live up to the right standard, but be sure that they know the standard and will hold me to it, if I indeed claim affinity with Jesus the Light. Am I indeed in Christ? I also need to point out that it is not enough to know about Him, be able to speak eloquently about Him, or be sitting near Him; I have to be IN Him. Nothing else works. Does this describe me at the moment? 

The benefit of light is in what it does outside of itself. Light brings illumination and dispells darkness. The lives of men would be the best platform for the manifestation of light. As I shine the light by my good deeds and moral excellence, people recognise the hand of God upon me, and they can honour the God that I have made a public declaration about. How can I be the proper reflection of a God that I am not fully submitted to? There can be no doubt that I have had an encounter with the Light. God in heaven is glorified when His children represent Him well. May the Lord be pleased to display His power and splendour in me. God's time of favour is here.