By Allen White
You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill
cannot be hidden. Matthew
5:14
One
of my favorite spots in the world is the Point Piños
Lighthouse near Monterey, California. It’s one of the oldest lighthouses on the
west coast and is just up the coast from Pebble Beach.
The
cool thing about the lighthouse is that in addition to housing the light, it
also housed the lightkeeper. Just imagine the million dollar view. Of course,
lightkeepers worked at night….
In
the days of lightkeepers, the light needed to be tended. The lightkeeper would
turn it on, turn it off, and keep it going in-between. Today, even the Point Piños Lighthouse is automated. Retired Coast Guard supervise the
tours, but the light doesn’t need anyone to run it.
The
formula is simple: when it’s dark, the light shines. The light doesn’t need to
work hard to shine. It just shines. It’s positioned to been seen from far off
shore. It’s not on a high hill, but it’s positioned to warn ships based on the
curvature of the earth.
We
don’t possess the light because we are so bright. The light is the light of
Christ. It originates from Him, not from us. For instance, John the Baptist who
pointed to Christ tended the light, but didn’t produce it. “John himself was
not the light; he was simply a witness to tell about the light. The one who is
the true light, who gives light to everyone, was coming into the world” (John
1:8-9, NLT).
The
difference between believers today and John the Baptist is that the light of
Christ was with John, but the light of Christ is in us. “For God, who said,
“Let light shine out of darkness,” made his light shine in our hearts to give
us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory displayed in the face of Christ”
(2 Corinthians 4:6).
Light
in a dark place is obvious. It doesn’t have to jump up and down. It doesn’t
have to make a lot of noise. Light simply shines.
How
is your life positioned to shine the light of Christ? What is it about your
life that shows you possess the light of Christ? I don’t say that as some
guilt-inducing attempt to make you try harder. Your trying harder wouldn’t get
you there.
We
possess the light of Christ. Yet, many of us don’t really understand the
significance of what we’ve been given. We pray about nothing, when we’re instructed
to pray about everything (Philippians 4:6), and then we attempt to live our
lives for Christ without His Power or Presence. No wonder we feel frustrated
and defeated.
Ask
Jesus to show you what it means to possess His Light. Then, notice how the light
of Christ can affect the darkness around you.
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