The Glorious Gospel for All

Will the Light do anything for you?

My flashlight rests on the table, ready to shine its light should I wish it to do so. But first I must deliberately take it in my hand and turn it on. Then I must direct the light beam towards the darkness I want to get rid of. Wherever I point that beam, the darkness goes away! That flashlight will do a lot for me. But unless I take it and use it properly, it is utterly useless to me.

In a weak way, that illustrates the way it is with the True Light. It will do me no good unless I first make it my own and put it to proper use in my life. So let's start there and note some things the Light could do in our lives.

Become our own. The Light wishes to become our very own. As we take possession of it, it takes possession of us. It comes into our lives and becomes a tool of God for blessing and good. Thus the Light comes into our disposal, ready for us to use to accomplish God's purposes.

Bring brightness and glory. Some of the most beautiful things I have seen at night are light-related. Lights in darkness are things of brightness and glory. Lights at night also give courage, boldness, and assurance. My friend, that is what the Light wants to do for you in the spiritual and moral darkness of this world. God's light in you will make you beautiful, bright, and glorious; it will give you a certain special courage. The darkness will seem less frightening and threatening because of the Light you have. And because of that Light, you will be less distracted by the blackness about you.

Reveal problems. As long as I am in the dark, I cannot discern some problems and their causes. I merely suffer from their effects, crashing down here and stubbing a toe there. Once I have light, though, things change for the better. Now I can see what's wrong. In a spiritual sense, the Light shows me sin and self which must be dealt with and from which I must be delivered. Whether the problem is an attitude, a thought pattern, a value, or an action, the Light will surely show me what is wrong. What a tremendously positive thing! Who wants to know something is wrong and suffer the consequences of it, but have no way of knowing the precise nature of the problem and how to remedy it? Not I! Praise God for His Light!

Show the way. I stood in the absolute darkness of an underground lava tube. The total lack of light was disorienting. The dominating blackness was almost palpable and definitely overbearing. I had no notion of the right way to go. Valuing my physical well-being, I didn't dare take any steps. However, the urge to move was strong; I didn't want to be stuck in that dark place alone. So I pushed the button on my flashlight. Wow! Now I could see the way in which to go and the places where to put my feet. No, I couldn't see all the way and all the places, but enough to start traveling. And that's how the Light works in life. So "push the button" and continue walking in the way the Light shows you.

Will your light do anything for others?

When I was in that lava tube, my light (when it was lit) did good for others besides me. I'm sure you can imagine various ways in which my light benefited them. But what about my spiritual light? Is it doing anyone else any good?

"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" (Matthew 5:15).