Won’t you please shine down on me?
Have you noticed the moon the past couple of nights? Have you ever seen anything so brilliant and beautiful? You almost feel like you could reach up and touch it, or it would fall on the earth and crush us. It’s hard to imagine that the moon has no light of its own, it does not generate any of its own light. So why does it seem like it is lit from where we stand and look up at it? It is because it reflects the light of the sun down on us. God did call it a lesser light to separate the darkness of night for us. The greater light would be the sun of course, so bright in fact you can’t look at it with the naked eye. The Bible talks about something else that could not be looked upon by the naked eye without causing death, and that something was the very countenance of God. Moses wanted to see his face, and God said no one sees my face and lives. So God put Moses in the cleft of a rock covered Him with His hand until He passed by, and Moses could only look at the back of God as He passed by without dying, and even that tiny glimpse of God caused the face of Moses to radiate light, so much so he put a veil on his face so he wouldn’t make his people afraid, or have them think that the light was in any way generated by himself.
The message Jesus wanted the world to learn and understand was He is the light of the world, and through Him we could come into the presence of God without dying. Jesus also told us, in the Bible, that we were to be a light to the world. How are we supposed to be a light to the world, when the Bible tells us that He is light? The answer is simple, imagine it this way in your mind, the Trinity, God the Father, Jesus the Son and the Holy Spirit, together are the sun, and we are the moon that simply reflects light of (Them)the sun into a darkened world. When you think of it that way is very simple to understand what God intends us to be is a beacon for him, a lighthouse on the edge of a stormy sea, piercing holes in the darkness. The full moon we saw this week was at 100% illumination. This is what we need to make our goal, is that people would see us reflect hundred percent of God’s light. You will notice that there are times when the moon only reflects one-quarter, one half, or three-quarters of the light, because something gets in the way of the sun’s light. It is when we are the closest to Jesus that we reflect the most of His light. We also have at our disposal a lamp that no one can extinguish, the Bible, which is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path. If we stay in the Word it will shine a light on our lives and tell us how to live the right way.
As parents it is important for us to give our children a working knowledge of the Scriptures from the time they are born, so they never have to live in darkness. Make it a habit to simply read the Scriptures to them, as babies love to hear the sound of the parent’s voice, so they would be enamored with hearing the Scriptures, read to them. When was the last time you read to your child, and what was it?
We as authors have an obligation to present the illumination of Jesus Christ, through our lives and through our works. Presenting the gospel of Jesus Christ to the world, is the great commission, that Jesus Christ has instilled in each and every one of us. He told us to be the light on the hill, and to let our light shine so other people can see Jesus Christ through us. It is our job to punch holes in the darkness.
For the commandment is a lamp; and the law is light; and reproofs of instruction are the way of life:
Proverbs 6:23
Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid.
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.
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
No man, when he hath lighted a candle, covereth it with a vessel, or putteth it under a bed; but setteth it on a candlestick, that they which enter in may see the light.
Luke 8:16
Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.
John 8:12
For so hath the Lord commanded us, saying, I have set thee to be a light of the Gentiles, that thou shouldest be for salvation unto the ends of the earth.
Acts 13:47
This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.
If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth:
But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.
I John 1:5-7