It is His light that truly shines in us.

Most high, glorious God, enlighten the darkness of our minds.
Give us a right faith, a firm hope and perfect love so that we may always and in all things
act according to your perfect will. Amen.  St. Francis of Assisi

   Jesus Christ is the Light of the world (John 8:12) and when we do His will we become light shining for all to see of the Jesus, who is our Lord.   Jesus speaks of this in one of the metaphors from the Sermon on the Mount, when He relates, “You are the light of the world, a city that is set upon a hill cannot be hidden” (Matthew 5:14 NIV).  Still if we are honest, our lights at times can become quite dim because we show more about human frailties than the Living Christ who is in us. Yet the Apostle John admonishes us that “whoever loves his brother lives in the light and there is nothing in him to make him stumble” (1 John 1:11 NIV).  Why is that?

    Could it be that when we yield to Christ and love with His love, that we will not stumble?  Think about it!  How often do we try to love in our humanness and by our efforts only to fail? We might at times shine a bit but mostly we are not very bright in a dark world.  Sure a few tiny rays of light come through because of the grace that is working in us but in our own power we are just not very dazzling.  Yet when we acknowledge that we cannot love someone, forgive someone or forget some wrong done to us and appeal to Christ for help … shafts of grace infused light burst forth from our failures and lives are changed including our own. 

   It is in the calling upon Christ, that His love can come through us. As our weaknesses are acknowledged … the Holy Spirit flows through us with the indescribable power and the love of God bursts forth as hope filled good news. We are transformed and God is seen in us.  Christ changes us … when we step into our faith and love, forgive and follow the leading of the Holy Spirit.  Then the Light of the world shines in what we do because we are doing His will.

    Do you we truly want the light of Christ to shine in all that you do?  Then we must obey and love Him in all that you do. It is His light that truly shines like a city on a hill, not ours.

“What ever you do, whether in word or in deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him (Colossians 3:17).

Daily Reading ... John 8 & Colossians 3