Love is the Light

When you are sitting at home watching your favorite show on the television and suddenly the power goes out if you can not find a flashlight probably one of the first things you do is light a candle. Once the candle is lit it illuminates all that is around you so that you can see what was once in the darkness. We are compared to a candle.

Jesus said "You are a city on a hill" and "Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify the Father" We are called to be the light in a darkened world. He tells us to be the light of the world. Notice He did not say the light above the world. That means we are to live here down in the dirt and grime of the world with everyone else.

We are to shine amongst all the world around us. We are not to live this life with our heads in the clouds. We need to be the light. The love we show is that light. I say "Love is the light". The one thing that shows other people that you indeed are a believer is the love you show them. No matter what you say, or what you do, its not about words or actions if there is no love. Love is what seperates us from everyone else. We are commanded to love as He loved us. How does he love us? He initiates a relationship with us. That is also how we are to love.

We are to love by not coming to people like we are above them or better than them but that we are one of them. We have the same trials, temptations and tribulations that they do. We are all in this together this life we live. This means we cannot just simply hand someone a tract or go "soul-winning" and expect results. We are not salesman for the Lord. We are not advertisers for Jesus. We are the light. We are that beacon that shines and shows the ones who do not know Him what direction to go. We are what illuminates the darkness around us. We can not be this guiding force by simply investing 5 mins at the door of a stranger in which we become the "Great Inquisitor" asking simple questions about thier mortality.

Honestly, this is a weighty question should'nt more time and energy be invested in such a question than just spouting off scripts to get to Heaven? It seems to me we must be willing to invest our lives a little more than just that. Jesus did not go to the fisherman in the Sea and say heres is a 8 point plan to get you to Heaven. He said simply "follow me" This type of thinking may mean you do not get to see some results. You may only be the one watering the plant and someone else may come along to see the harvest. That is okay because God uses all of these people to bring others to Him. Every bit of this process is necessary and relevant. This is not simply a question to give people fire insurance for the after life but a question that asks are you ready for the commitment of a relationship with Jesus?