“Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. 15 Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. 16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven

Matthew 5:14-16 KJV”

The above scripture is one that is quite popular, many Christians are familiar with it. There’s even a song, who knows it?

“This little light of mine

I’m gonna let it shine…

Let it shine, Let it shine, Let it shine”

However, how many of us have truly given it thought? It’s not by singing it. Do you understand what it means to be a light to the world? Do you understand what it means to shine?

What is light?

“Light cannot be anything other than what it is. It’s bright; it dispels darkness; it enables people to see what they are doing”

John 1:5 makes us understand that

“The Light shines on in the [a]darkness, and the darkness did not understand it or overpower it or appropriate it or absorb it [and is unreceptive to it]”

John 1:5 AMP

Jesus as the Light

Jesus is seen in the scriptures to be the light, He is the light of the world. Let’s take a look at the following scriptures

Once more Jesus addressed the crowd. He said, “[a]I am the Light of the world. He who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life.

John 8:12 AMP

The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? the Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?

Psalm 27:1 KJV

35 Then Jesus told them, “You are going to have the light just a little while longer. Walk while you have the light, before darkness overtakes you. Whoever walks in the dark does not know where they are going. 36 Believe in the light while you have the light, so that you may become children of light.” When he had finished speaking, Jesus left and hid himself from them.

John 12:35-36 NIV

It is seen evidently that Jesus is the light and in John 8:12, Jesus stated that those who followed Him will have the light. He also tells us in John 12:36 that we should believe in the light so that we may be children of light.

God as the Light

5 This is the message [of God’s promised revelation] which we have heard from Him and now announce to you, that God is Light [He is holy, His message is truthful, He is perfect in righteousness], and in Him there is no darkness at all [no sin, no wickedness, no imperfection]. 6 If we say that we have fellowship with Him and yet walk in the darkness [of sin], we lie and do not practice the truth; 7 but if we [really] walk in the Light [that is, live each and every day in conformity with the precepts of God], as He Himself is in the Light, we have [true, unbroken] fellowship with one another [He with us, and we with Him], and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin [by erasing the stain of sin, keeping us cleansed from sin in all its forms and manifestations]

1 John 1:5-7 AMP

God is seen as the light in the above Scripture. The above Scripture also tells us in vs 7 how to become the light also.

What does it mean to be a light of the world?

To become the light to the World simply means to fellowship with Jesus and be more like Him (John 12:36, 1 John 1:5-7). It’s that simple.

You can’t be a light and not have a relationship with God. You can’t be a light and not fellowship with Christ. To become a light, you have to behave like Christ; you have to exhibits the fruit of the Holy Spirit.

“A city set upon a hill cannot be hidden and neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it gives light to all that are in the house”

As lights, we cannot be hidden. We can’t be lights and decide not to shine forth our light. Light repels darkness, light is very visible, light shines for all to see.

Related: Liberty in Christ

We can’t be like Christ and be ashamed of Him, We can’t be like Christ and be ashamed of showing Him to others. We also can’t be like Christ and people will not take note of us, how different we are.

8 For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light 9 (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth) 10 and find out what pleases the Lord. 11 Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them. 12 It is shameful even to mention what the disobedient do in secret. 13 But everything exposed by the light becomes visible—and everything that is illuminated becomes a light. 14 This is why it is said:

“Wake up, sleeper, rise from the dead and Christ will shine on you.”

Ephesians 5:8-14 AMP

The truth is, the world is watching us even though we think they don’t. They take note of the things we do and say. They want to know if we practice our beliefs. That’s why people can come to receive Jesus just by someone’s lifestyle.

When you see a bright light, you just have to notice it. It doesn’t hide, except it’s covered.

Is your lifestyle in accordance with Christ? Are some of the things you do questionable? Are you confusing unbelievers?

Your light shining doesn’t necessarily mean you talk to people about Christ alone. Your actions and lifestyle also play a big role in your light shining.

“Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven”

Finally, the main aim of your light shining is to bring Glory to the Father. Whatever we do, it’s all for God’s own glory. With this in mind, we don’t have to boast in our good works or focus on ourselves. The main aim is to point people to God so they see God.

Can our lights ever be dulled even when we have come to know Christ?

Yes it can

What can make it dull for people not to notice it?

Sin is the primary reason for this. Sin can cover our light. Also, being lukewarm in the spirit can cause our lights to be dull. God doesn’t like it when we are lukewarm (Revelations 3:15-16).

“A lukewarm Christian is someone who claims to be a believer in Jesus but does not appear to be committed to Christ, may occasionally attend church, rarely reads the Bible, and dabbles in the sinful things of the world.

Matt Slick of Christian Apologetics & Research Ministries (CARM)”

We can see more in Revelations 3:15-17 what being a Lukewarm Christian ia about when God was speaking to the laodiciea church.

In conclusion,

I’m going to take the exact words from a Christian blogger, Joshua Infantado

“So brethren, are we doing our job as a light of the world? Are we illuminating the light that Christ gave us? When people see us, do they see God’s way of life? Or are we just no different to those who are outside the faith?

Wherever we are, be it at school, at work, home, or within our community, we must reflect God’s light. We must carry God’s light in such a way that His name won’t be blasphemed. We need do our best so “that [we] may become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom [we] shine as lights in the world, holding fast the word of life” (Philippians 2:15-16).”

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Thank you for reading. What do you think about being the Light of the World?

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