Let There Be Light

John 1:4 and 5 tells us that Jesus came as light to this dark world. Matthew 5:14 records Jesus telling us that we are the light of the world. Jesus was human, we are human; Jesus was light, we are light; Jesus is God, we, oh so very clearly, are not.

Some Christians, especially women, spend their whole lives trying to learn how to be more like light. We try and try to make ourselves more like Christ on the inside. To be more humble, to be less judgmental, to be more compassionate, to be less gossipy, to be more patient, and to less self-centered. But there’s more to it than that.

Being light is more than trying to make our personalities more like Christ's. It’s about doing more like Christ. Christ didn’t come as light simply to have a great personality, He came to love people passionately. 

I don’t know where we all got the idea that we need to be better on the inside before we can do good acts on the outside. It’s a lie though, I know that much. Do you usually get yourself all nice and grateful for everything you have and then go feed the homeless? Or is it more likely that you go feed the homeless and then have a more grateful attitude? Do you usually praise God for His healing and then start praying for people? Or is it more likely that you pray and then see His healing hand to praise? Do you usually feel nice and connected to the body of Christ and then start to serve? Or is it more likely that you start to serve and then become connected to the body of Christ?

The rest of Christ’s talk about being the light of the world ends with verse 16, “Let your light shine before men, that they would see your good deeds and praise your Father Heaven.” Jesus doesn’t say “let them see how holy you are inside and then they’ll praise God”  He says “let them see your DEEDS, and then they will praise God.

This doesn’t mean we shouldn’t try to be more like Christ on the inside. We most certainly should. But we definitely shouldn’t make that more important than DOING more like Christ. Do you think we fulfill the great commission (to go an make disciples) by developing perfect Godly personalities, or by doing the work of Christ?

Bad news ladies, we will never have perfect personalities. We will always have sin in us. But Christ calls us to action despite that.

Bible studies on self-improvement are great. But sometimes we need to get our head out of the books, and into the lives of God’s people. That’s were our light shines.

Be light to someone this weekend.

In Christ,

Jill

(Also, happy birthday to my wonderful husband!)