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THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD
by Victoria Boyson
www.boyson.org
I wonder...if Jesus came to the earth today
and taught what He taught 2000 years ago, would we accept Him? Or would we deem Him arrogant and conceited or even possessed by the devil as many of the Jewish people did then?
When the son of Mary and Joseph first came
on to the world's scene, the Jews accepted Him as being a man of God. They welcomed the healing and deliverance He brought them. They embraced His wisdom. They enjoyed the blessing of the miracles He performed. But when Jesus
said that He was the Bread of Life (see Jn. 6:35), they turned their backs on Him (see Jn. 6:66). When He referred to Himself as the Light of the world (see Jn. 8:12), they thought He was demon possessed (see Jn. 8:48).When He
promised them eternal life through His Life (see Jn. 6:54), it was a difficult concept for them to grasp.
It's ironic how we stand back 2000 years later and judge them for their lack of understanding. But to them,
Jesus was just a man. Hindsight is always much clearer. But today if a young man in his early thirties showed up at our churches making extraordinary claims about himself, we would probably show Him the door.
Jesus knew who He was and He knew the authority that God had given Him. He understood what His mission was on earth. He was confident in His calling. He was, indeed, the Light of the world...and so are we!
If we have Christ's Spirit dwelling in us, then we are the light of the world. We are God's ambassadors. God has chosen to show Himself to the world through us. And, until His return, we are the representation of Christ on earth. What an incredible calling! What a mission! What a responsibility!
If we are to truly represent Christ, we must first know Him, and then walk in the authority He walked in. He knew who He was and He lived accordingly. So, if we are to represent Him properly, we must do the same.
Jesus knew God; He was Jesus' Father. If we truly know God and receive Him as our Father, then we will trust Him to fulfill His word through us. We will show the world the power of God through the authority we have
received in Jesus Christ (see Mt. 28:18-20).
Living as He Lived
If we are to display His power and Glory on this earth, then we must strive to live as He lived. We must stop excusing our compromises with this
world's system. We should live as though we are strangers in this world - it is not our home. Our home is with our heavenly Father. We are His children and we must choose to govern our lives by His standards. Accepting the
world's way of living and governing our lives by its standards is putting ourselves at enmity with God (see James 4:4).
We are truly not of this world, we are not of this earthly kingdom. We are a part of the kingdom of
heaven and we must be different from the world if we are to allow His light to shine through us in this world. Indeed, it is not our righteousness that will light the world, but it is the love of God shed abroad in our hearts. But our light will not shine as bright if we are in bondage to the same sins that plague the world.
The Hope of Heaven!
If we know who we are and the importance of the function we play in the kingdom of God, we will not allow ourselves to become entangled in the things that hold this world in bondage. We are
the righteousness of God through Christ Jesus (see 2 Cor. 5:21).
What an awesome responsibility. God has entrusted us with the responsibility of bringing His salvation to the world. Every prayer we pray, every word we speak and every decision we make in life should be made with the reality of the call that is on our life.
God is looking for those who will pick up the call and make it their life. He is looking for those who will lose their life, but find His life in the process. Man or woman, rich or poor, slave or free, Jew or Gentile,
it does not matter (see Gal. 3:28). Will you accept this calling? Will you let it change your life? Will you give Him your life, your choices, your fears and even your failings?
If you give up your life, the plans that
you have made for yourself, and live only for the Lamb of God, then you will surely find life (see Mt. 10:39). Only then can we walk as He walked and in the authority He walked in. You will lay hands on the sick and they will
recover, because you will know that it was for this purpose you were born. You are a gift to the world, sent to fulfill His promised Word.
"Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let
us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us" (Heb. 12:1). The great crowd of witnesses is in heaven waiting for you to rise and
take up the mantle of the gospel of peace. They are even now praying for God to raise up men and women who will shine the light of Jesus Christ on a lost and dying world. The light of Jesus shining richly through you is the
hope of heaven (see Col. 1:27)!
His Dwelling Place
We are the resting place of God - His holy place. "Where is the house you can build for me?" (Is. 66:1). God does not live in a house made by human
hands, but He has built His home in us. We are the dwelling place of God - the show case for His glory - we are His holy place.
In the temple that Solomon built there were many place for the people to come and worship.
But the Holy of Holies was reserved for God's Glory. Those who would enter His holy place must first purify themselves or they would die because of the presence of His glory. If we are to be His dwelling place (see 1 Cor.
3:16), we too must purify ourselves. We can be purified by the blood of the Lamb and live our lives as vessels who are set a part for sacred purposes. We are not to function as the world does, but we must conduct ourselves as
Christ would - not out of pride, but in humility as an act of love and worship to our Lord.
We have the same decisions to make as the world does, but we must make these choices in the light of the calling on our life, in
the light of our God given destiny. Even if we are not yet walking fully in our destiny, it does not matter, we need to live now as though we were.
We, as the house of the Lord, are to live our lives as unto the
Lord. Some might argue that it is not possible to live pure lives, but we must realize that there is no shame in failure if our goal is to live for Him.
God is looking for a place to rest, a place where His Spirit can
dwell. He wants that place to be in you. He wants His glory to dwell in you and to radiate from you. Will you prepare a place for Him? Will you give Him your heart and let Him make it His home? Will you give Him your life and let His light shine through you?
You are the light of the world - the salt of the earth - a city set on a hill (see Mt. 5:13-14). If you do not live for Him, then the earth has lost its light and heaven has lost its hope. Live for Him and in Him, and through Him. If you do, you will light the world!
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