A Light in the Darkness

Being from the Midwest there are several things that I don’t miss living in Southwest Florida. I don’t miss the cold, the ice, and the snow. I don’t miss the cloudy days and lawns covered with dandelions. I don’t miss not being able to fish every day of the year. However, there are a few things that I do miss. Strangely, I miss the beautiful display of flickering illumination coming from the lowly lightning bugs. On a late summer night up north, you can count on the fireflies to be lights in the darkness.

God has called His children to be lights in the darkness of this world. Jesus said in Matt. 5:14-16: “You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven”. We have a duty to let our light shine brightly in this world. How can we do that? In what ways should a believer let his light shine?

We can be a light in the darkness by our consistent Christlike behavior. People should be able to tell by how we live that we belong to Jesus. Our language, our behavior, and our integrity should shine forth. We can shine a light in the darkness by our bold witness to the gospel message. Since Jesus is the Light of the World it is our job to hold forth this light to everyone who lives in darkness (Phil. 2:16). We can also be a light by our joy in the Lord. In the Old Testament when they dedicated the temple it was said that “the joy of Jerusalem was heard afar off” (Neh. 12:43). Our joy should be seen in the dark despair and hopelessness of this world.

We may not feel like we can make much difference. This world is very dark. But just like the lowly lightning bug we need to let our little light shine, let it shine, let it shine.