Wednesday, October 19, 2011

"You are the light of the world."

Matthew 5:14 “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden; 15 nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. 16 “Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven." (NASB)

How could a lazy Christian be more convicted of sin than by this passage? One's selfishness and carnality are darkness itself. There is no light in any of it. What one is in private he is in public. One's influence to himself is his influence on others. What one is, one is. There is no division between the private and the public forums. When I am in sin, though that sin could never be known to another, my light is not shining. It has been hid under the basket of evil. My light is shining when I am being what I am supposed to be at any given time. I am as Christ to the public view if I live like Him in public and in private.

Jesus said, "I am the Light of the world; he who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life.” (NASB) We are to follow after Christ, meaning to be like Him, represent Him. How can we do this if we play games with it? Is it meaningless to be godly, to "be perfect as your Father in heaven is perfect"? (Matthew 5:48) How can we be so if we play games with sin--sins that cannot be known let alone those done for all to see? Is Christ Himself meaningless? How can we say otherwise if we will not conduct our minds and actions and words at all times is such ways as He would? I am not speaking of perfectionism, but that we so want Him that we agonize tirelessly to be like Him. That we are so cognizant of His affect on others that we want that for them nearly above all else. That they might see Him as He is and desire Him also, and know eternal life, which is to "know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent." (John 17:3, NASB)

But the light of Christ in us is darkened by the basket of sin and shame when we are not what He is and would have us to be. We despise Him before others in such cases. We tell them He is not really worthy of our attention or worship, that His ways are not what we would have, though we claim to have them, to be in Him. Hypocrisy reigns then and the testimony of Christ diminishes by lack of our godliness in private, unnoticed. That is, unnoticed by eyes. But the ill impression is yet there and we are hardly a bright light in this dark world. We are hardly a witness for Christ. We are hardly an influence on others unto the sanctification unto salvation.
(2 Thessalonians 2:13; Hebrews 13:12; 1Peter 1:2)