Rooted In His WordMfano

Jesus is the true light that gives light to everyone (John 1:9). As the true light, He is a beacon in the darkness that tells us and shows us the way we should go in life. If we accept Jesus as the true light, then we will reflect His life. Jesus said, "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life" (John 8:12). We are the light of the world, as our verse for today proclaims, because we follow Jesus and have the light of life as a result. Just as a town built on a hill cannot be hidden, so the followers of Jesus are lights that cannot be hidden. We shine in the darkness of a sinful and broken world and people cannot fail to see us. Light defeats darkness: “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it” (John 1:5). Although the people of darkness may want to avoid the light, may want to extinguish the light, they cannot overcome the light. Just as a lamp should not be hidden under a bowl, so the light of life that is in us should not be hidden from those around us. Since light defeats darkness, the only way that darkness can win is if the people of light hide themselves. If we put our light under a bowl, if we refuse to shine in the darkness, then we will have given the darkness a victory it could not have achieved on its own. In contrast, just as a lamp should be placed on a stand, so the light of life that is in us should be placed prominently before those around us. Since light defeats darkness, the light of life that is in us will overcome the darkness if it is allowed to shine. Indeed, it will shine throughout the whole world. The people of darkness are so blind that they, as the Lord put it to Jonah, “cannot tell their right hand from their left” (Jonah 4:11). Today, have mercy, and allow your light to shine in the darkness.