The Seven I AM Statements Series #2: Jesus Christ, The Light of theWorld
"When Jesus spoke again to the people, He said, 'I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life."
Jesus said that He is the light of the world.
Whenever we refer to the light, there are certain associations that come to mind that help us to understand what the context of this statement is.
But I believe that it is quite straightforward.
The light may be associated with the ability of sight and being able to open your eyes to the truth.
The light reveals truths and gives direction to our path just as it allows our eyes to see the different objects in our surroundings and to paint a picture of what the world and God's creation looks like.
Since the light enters our eyes, it may be said that the light pierces through our soul, figuratively.
In this way, we can view Jesus to be our guide and the One who reveals the truth about Himself, about God the Father, and about us as well.
He allows us to see the realities of the world and also enables us to see the gravity of His love for us through the sacrifices that He made for us and also to know the wonderful plans that He has for our lives.
It is Jesus who sheds light on our path just as the Bible says that God's Word is a lamp unto our feet and a light unto our path.
This means that His Word is an instruction on the right way for us to live and a road map that would lead us to every step that we must take in the path of righteousness, according to the plan that God has set for us.
According to Jesus as He taught Nicodemus in John 3:19-21,
"This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of the light because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed.
But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of God."
Plain and simple, all those who have been taken out of the darkness and placed into the light have already repented of their ways and are willing to follow Jesus' commands and do good so that they may glorify the name of God and that they may be pleasing in His sight.
People who are in the light know where they are going but those who are in darkness have no idea where their lives are headed and so they stumble and fall in the darkness. They constantly repeat their sinful ways and do not want to repent because they love their sins too much and cannot let go of them.
Essentially, being brought to the light brings us into a process of a great transformation in our lives. The flame of the Holy Spirit becomes ignited in us so that we may be changed and made a new creation, one that lives to honor and glorify the true living God.
Once we have received the light and are in the light, we have become bearers of the light as well. Basically, when Jesus has entered into our lives, the light which is Jesus directs us to God's plan and will for our lives which is the best way to use and live our lives.
What does this then tell about us and what we should do? In Matthew 5:14-16, Jesus explains further what it means to be the light of the world,
"You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on a stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house.
In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify the Father in heaven."
We have to put our faith into practice and not just be superficially shallow Christians. We need to practice what we preach and truly show to people that Jesus has indeed changed us from the inside out and that He has been the reason why our lives have become better than what they were before we met Him.
We as Christians need to put God's Word in our hearts and live according to what He tells us so that we can really say that we are followers of Christ because if we only say we are Christians but have not changed our ways and attitude, then we are merely fooling ourselves.
So our faith must be reflected also upon our actions, our words, and even our thoughts because as God had said that anyone who is in Christ is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!
If we truly have Jesus in our hearts, then that means that we have the true light dwelling in us thus we must be shining examples of the life that Jesus modeled for us. We need to walk in Jesus' footsteps and adopt His likeness and image in spirit and in truth.
Let us then be sensitive to the Holy Spirit's leading and allow Him to take control of our lives and be the center of every aspect in our lives so that we can truly live a life of victory and be the light that the world desperately needs.
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