Tag: sons of light

30.z. “Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket”

 

Matthew 5:14  “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.

 Proverbs 4:18   But the path of the righteous is like the light of dawn, which shines brighter and brighter until full day.

 John 12:36    While you have the light, believe in the light, that you may become sons of light.”

 Romans 2:19-20    and if you are sure that you yourself are a guide to the blind, a light to those who are in darkness,  an instructor of the foolish, a teacher of children, having in the law the embodiment of knowledge and truth—

 2 Corinthians 6:14   Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness

 Ephesians 5:8   for at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light

 Philippians 2:15  that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world,

 1 Thessalonians 5:5   For you are all children of light, children of the day. We are not of the night or of the darkness.

 Luke 11:33    “No one after lighting a lamp puts it in a cellar or under a basket, but on a stand, so that those who enter may see the light.

 Mark 4:21    And he said to them, “Is a lamp brought in to be put under a basket, or under a bed, and not on a stand?

Jesus never challenged us to become salt or light. He simply said that we are – and we are either fulfilling or failing that given responsibility. A key thought in both the pictures of salt and light is distinction. Salt is needed because the world is rotting and decaying, and if our Christianity is also rotting and decaying, it won’t be any good. Light is needed because the world is in darkness, and if our Christianity imitates the darkness, we have nothing to show the world. To be effective we must seek and display the Christian distinctive. We can never affect the world for Jesus by becoming like the world.

“Poor world, poor world, it is dark, and gropes in midnight, and it cannot get light except it receives it through us!…To be the light of the world surrounds life with the most stupendous responsibilities, and so invests it with the most solemn dignity. Hear this, ye humble men and women, ye who have made no figure in society, ye are the light of the world. If ye burn dimly, dim is the world’s light, and dense its darkness.” (Spurgeon)

 “Christ knew that there would be strong temptation for the men that had it in them to be lights to hide their light. It would draw the world’s attention to them, and so expose them to the ill will of such as hate the light.” (Bruce)

 “Christ never contemplated the production of secret Christians, – Christians whose virtues would never be displayed, – pilgrims who would travel to heaven by night, and never be seen by their fellow-pilgrims or anyone else.” (Spurgeon)

The figures of salt and light also remind us that the life marked by the Beatitudes is not to be lived in isolation. We often assume that those inner qualities can only be developed or displayed in isolation from the world, but Jesus wants us to live them out before the world. Are you a light to those around you? Does it shine bright? Does it give illumination to those around you so that they are able to see Jesus Christ and the reason for your faith, obedience, and reliance? The light of Jesus Christ is nuclear, never needs batteries, is always charged, and always gives off light. We somehow lose our charge. The light of Jesus Christ becomes dim through us. Why???? The busyness of life will try to consume us, worldly passions will try to convince us, and selfish desires will pull at us.  It is when our guiding desire is to honor and glorify Jesus Christ in all we say, think, and do that we will find things of this world and its lust and passions will grow strangely dim in the light of His glory and grace.

Light shinning in the darkness

“How long, O simple ones, will you love being simple? How long will scoffers delight in their scoffing and fools hate knowledge?”

John 1:5  The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

John 3:19    And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil.  For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed.

John 12:36     While you have the light, believe in the light, that you may become sons of light.” When Jesus had said these things, he departed and hid himself from them.  Though he had done so many signs before them, they still did not believe in him,  so that the word spoken by the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled: “Lord, who has believed what he heard from us, and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?  Therefore they could not believe. For again Isaiah said,  “He has blinded their eyes and hardened their heart, lest they see with their eyes, and understand with their heart, and turn, and I would heal them.”

Job 24:13    “There are those who rebel against the light, who are not acquainted with its ways, and do not stay in its paths.  The murderer rises before it is light, that he may kill the poor and needy, and in the night he is like a thief.  The eye of the adulterer also waits for the twilight, saying, ‘No eye will see me’; and he veils his face.  In the dark they dig through houses; by day they shut themselves up; they do not know the light.  For deep darkness is morning to all of them; for they are friends with the terrors of deep darkness.

Proverbs 1:29    Because they hated knowledge and did not choose the fear of the LORD,  would have none of my counsel and despised all my reproof,

1 Corinthians 2:14     The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned.

God’s word is a light unto our soul and a path for our feet.  In our homes we have lights and as it approaches night we turn them on so we can over come the darkness.  We choose to turn the light on because we see benefit from being able to function as though the darkness is not there.  There is much darkness in our world.  Some of this darkness is right there in our face and some of it is hidden and just below the surface.  The light of God’s word pulls us out of this darkness, lighting up the path for our feet to walk on daily.  It lights up hope, joy, love, grace, mercy, courage, strength, peace, within our soul.  The light of God’s word – The light of God’s word – The light of God’s word…..  Reading God’s word turns on this light and the more this word is read and remembered and thought about the brighter it gets.  Can you imagine a person who would turn the lights on at night only on Sunday and then trying to remember what that light illuminated   the rest of the week.  They would be walking in darkness  fooling them selves with this false hope of remembrance of the light.  We need the light of God’s word in our lives each day if we are to commit to humbly serving, honoring, following, and obeying God.