This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. 1 John 1:5
God’s Word encourages us to ‘walk in the light as he is in the light.’ We don’t hide away, slink into the shadows or turn the dimmer switch down on our witness – the witness of the light that God has place within us. We live transparently before God, before others, and even before ourselves; living in honesty of who we are and who we follow.
When we choose to live openly as followers of Jesus, we are not boasting about how good we are, but how good He is – and that all that we are is completely dependent on His love and grace. The apostle John reminds us that those who walk in the light are not perfect – they are people who confess their sins, receive God’s forgiveness and cleansing, and keep moving forward in His truth. Living in this kind of honesty frees us from the exhaustion of pretence.
You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Matthew 5:14
John’s message echoes the words of Jesus in Matthew 5 about letting our light shine. It makes no sense to light a lamp and then put a cover over it. We are the light of the world; we are not meant to be hidden. A hidden light helps no one – not the one who carries it and certainly not those stumbling in the dark around them.
When we speak openly about out faith, when we live with integrity, when we show kindness and compassion that reflects the heart of God, we are letting His light shine through us. We are letting our faith be visible.
Light has an attracting quality. Light is reassuring and inviting. People are drawn towards light, so let us choose to shine, with all our imperfections, so that others are drawn to the perfect light of Christ.
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