“For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light…And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them.” – Ephesians 5:8;11 (NKJV)
Experts define darkness as a lack of light. Little wonder the first thing God created was light, which is a symbol of His presence. Similarly, the world is in a state of gross darkness due to the depravity of hearts; and the absence of God in the lives of many.
This is why we have been called to be the Light of the world. Today, the world seems to be in constant chaos with perverse practices becoming the order of the day and new laws being passed that are contrary to Christ’s teachings. Now more than ever, believers ought to take up the mantle as lights in this world. And to do so, we ought to know the true significance of light and the role we play.
In the anchor scripture, the instruction given to believers is to walk as children of light and to expose darkness. Just like God, we are to shine brightly, illuminate the world around us and expose the works of the devil. This shows us that one of the functions of light is to reveal darkness. In a world filled with darkness, the light is very instrumental as it can not harbour evil, rather it exposes evil, thereby destroying the devil’s efforts in our lives and the world in general.
Another function of light is to convict the heart of men. In John 8:12, Jesus reveals Himself as the Light of the world. In the same vein, Saul encountered this same Light on his trip to Damascus, as he launched out on the usual trips to persecute Christians. Jesus met with Saul and he was immediately convicted of his sin (Acts 9). This led to his salvation and later, his remarkable Apostleship.
In addition to the convicting nature of light, light transforms. In 2 Corinthians 4:6, Paul explains that the same God that caused light to shine in the world also shone his light in our hearts through the knowledge of Christ. This is to say that the light God shone in our lives transforms us and changes our desire from that of the natural man to a man who longs after God.
Furthermore, the function of light is also to provide guidance. Just as the absence of physical light hinders vision and productivity, spiritual darkness leads to confusion and fear. As believers, the light of God in our soul which is Jesus, guides us in the right direction (Psalms 119:105).
The significance of light cannot be overemphasised. The light of God exposes, guides, convicts, and transforms, it also distinguishes us from the world.
Dear believer, you are light. Let the light of God shine through you to the world.
Bible Reading Plan: Galatians 1-2