Switch On the Light
Bible Reading: Ephesians 5:8-14
For though your hearts were once full of darkness, now you are full of light from the Lord. Ephesians 5:8
IMAGINE BEING in an art gallery where the room lights are on, but the spotlights that shine on the various portraits are off. You can see the portrait frames, and you might be able to make out some of the features of the portraits. But only when the spotlights are turned on can you see all the details-the facial expression, the skin tone, the eye color, the curve of the lips. When the spotlights are on, you can see the painting as the artist intended you to see it.
That’s what God’s light is like for you. It shines brightly on you and shows you who he created you to be. But you might not see God’s portrait of you too clearly. His light has been blocked or dimmed, so your vision of who you are is dim. You need to know how God provided for his light to shine into your life so you can see yourself clearly for who you are.
First, Jesus Christ is your first source of light. John announced about Jesus, “Life itself was in him, and this life gives light to everyone” (John 1:4). Jesus called himself the light of the world (see John 8: 12). The way you come into the light is to come into personal relationship with Christ. You grow in the knowledge that you are loved, valued, and made competent as your relationship grows deeper through close fellowship with Christ.
Second, God’s Word, the Bible, is another source of the light. King David wrote, “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path” (Psalm 119:105, NIV). The more you open your mind and heart to the Word of God, the more light you enjoy. In the light of God’s Word you see that God loves you, values you, and makes you competent.
Third, other believers are a source of God’s light. The One who proclaimed, “I am the light of the world” also told his followers, “You are the light of the world” (Matthew 5:14). Being in relationship with Christ, the Light fills you with light. As you and your Christian friends share the light of Christ and his Word with each other, you grow in your understanding that God loves you, values you, and makes you competent. That’s a big reason why the Bible tells us, “Let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage and warn each other, especially now that the day of his coming back again is drawing near” (Hebrews 10:25). You need interaction with other believers to flood your life with God’s light. It’s how you spot your true identity.
REFLECT: Do you want to see more clearly who you are in God’s eyes? How can you get into the light and see yourself as God sees you?
PRAY: Ask God to flood your life with his light as you read his Word and grow in your relationship with him and other believers.