In the business world, as in society, there is a tendency to keep things to ourselves in an effort to get ahead. And sharing the “secrets to success” are limited, despite the number of periodicals produced on the subject. There is a feeling that if I share my secret, then I lose my advantage.

This is not the way to live the life as a follower of Christ. Our goal should be to share with everyone, although that is not always the case.

“⁴⁴The next Sabbath almost the whole city gathered to hear the word of the Lord. ⁴⁵But when the Jews saw the crowds, they were filled with jealousy and began to contradict what was spoken by Paul, reviling him.” – Acts 13:44-45 (ESV)

The Jews had asked Paul and Barnabas to preach to them on this day so they would have the opportunity to be in the know about salvation. What a great ask and it should be commended for them to seek the Lord and His Word.

It was made clear however that they were in it for just themselves when the city showed up to learn and the Jews got territorial and turned against Paul in an effort to paint themselves higher in the pecking order than everyone else. They were losing their advantage over everyone else and as such, took the approach to discredit the advantage to again gain the upper hand.

“⁴⁶And Paul and Barnabas spoke out boldly, saying, ‘It was necessary that the word of God be spoken first to you. Since you thrust it aside and judge yourselves unworthy of eternal life, behold, we are turning to the Gentiles. ⁴⁷For so the Lord has commanded us, saying, “’I have made you a light for the Gentiles, that you may bring salvation to the ends of the earth.’”’ ⁴⁸And when the Gentiles heard this, they began rejoicing and glorifying the word of the Lord, and as many as were appointed to eternal life believed.” – Acts 13:46-48 (ESV)

Paul and Barnabas took the approach that if the Jews were not interested, we will go to those who are and turned their attention to the Gentiles that they might hear the gospel and be saved. What a turn of events. I am sure that is not what the Jews were expecting and they showed it as they drove them from the city.

God’s Word is not just for me. It is my duty to share with all who will hear, not just those that are in the right standing. I cannot keep the light to myself so that I will be able to see and travel the path God has for me. I am to share the light with all so they have the same opportunity to see and travel the path God has for them.

As you have heard and learned the Word of God, what has been your approach to sharing? Have you been willing to share the advantage you have as a follower of Christ, or have you been keeping Him to yourself to lord over others? What do you think would be when you start sharing the light with others?

We tend to think that we have an unlimited amount of time to follow Christ and act as though, I can follow Christ tomorrow. We take Christ and what He has for us for granted that He will always be there.

“³⁵So Jesus said to them, ‘The light is among you for a little while longer. Walk while you have the light, lest darkness overtake you. The one who walks in the darkness does not know where he is going.’” – John 12:35 (ESV)

Jesus clearly states here that He will only be in the world for a short time longer and that the people should take the opportunity now to believe. He was speaking to us here in this time as well. We only have a short time in this world to believe and follow Christ. Every day that passes we are closer to the end, whether that be the end of our time here in this world, or the end times when Christ comes again. Either way, it would then be too late.

“³⁶While you have the light, believe in the light, that you may become sons of the light.” – John 12:36 (ESV)

In the time I have left if makes sense for me to take advantage of the light while I still have it. There is no daylight savings time to extend the light of the day for the harvest when it comes to living the life that Christ has in store for me. When the light is gone, it is gone and it will be too late.

Thankfully, I have chosen to follow the light. I admit, that I have and will venture into the darkness from time to time as a sinner. But, I have the light of Christ to light the path I am to be on and I will find my way back to Him and that path as Christ waits for me with open arms to welcome me back.

We have the light of Christ for only a short while and therefore we should be taking advantage of the light to guide our daily walk as we believe.

Are you walking in the light? What timeline do you believe you have to still find and walk in the light? Did you know that the light of Christ will only be here for a little while longer?

“¹²Again, Jesus spoke to them, saying, ‘I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.’” – John 8:12 (ESV)

I have been studying the word “light” for a few weeks now and this morning what stood out was the “again” part of the verse. Jesus comes back to the theme of His coming which is to be “the light of the world”.

How much of that have I missed? I have focused on what else do I need to know and have studied and studied. I have even been studying this for the past few weeks and have not really made the connection that the theme and mission of the gospel is that Jesus came to be “the light of the world” through His death and resurrection as He brings salvation.

I am not the light, I carry the light. I do not shine, it is God in me that shines and my job is to be in the places where He can shine.

Again and again, God has led me to the passages in His Word to explain to me this and until today it really had not hit me. Jesus is “the light of the world. Whoever follows” him takes the Light with them.

What realizations about Jesus’ mission are you learning? Was this as revealing to you as it was to me? Are you catching the theme of Jesus as “the light of the world”?

“¹⁹And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil.” – John 3:19 (ESV)

“and the people loved the darkness”. What a thought. I am so glad that Jesus came and brought with Him salvation.

I was just speaking about not having to hide if you are telling the truth. When you speak the truth there is nothing to hide from. There is no making up more to cover what lie was told. There is no more mental work to determine if it is needed to be careful how and what is said so as not to let on that there is something not quite right.

Yes, there may be initial sting with the truth, and there may be negative consequences. But, once it is done, it is done and there is no more lingering with the extra work needed to continue covering up.

Jesus came and brought the light to the world and you can see in the verse above that people rejected the light as they preferred the hiding and working in the dark so as to continue avoiding consequences of their actions. Staying out of the light seemed like the thing to do in order to not be exposed for the transgressions.

The truth lives in the light. When true everything is taken care of. There are, as I mentioned earlier, consequences for the choice and actions, however those consequences are far less damaging. And, as will likely be realized, when exposed early, the “mistake” is more readily understood as an accident and not something done out of malice. When understood as a mistake the consequence is so much less drastic and is something that is prepared for.

I choose to come to the light. I choose Jesus. I choose to be up front with all so as to avoid the compounding consequences of the darkness.

When you are in the world and you see the light of Christ, where are you gravitating? Are you content with remaining in the darkness to try and maintain the lies and actions you have taken? What if you were to come clean and come to the light of Christ, accepting the consequences of all your actions?

When I read the verses in John 1, without diving into and studying, I can get the sense that I am somehow the one that would be providing salvation to those that I come in contact with, “I am the light”.

“⁴IN him was life, and the life was the light of men. ⁵The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” – John 1:4-5 (ESV)

But I have to read and study further to truly understand as John the Baptist understood, that he was simply to be the one to “bear witness about the light” and to make clear that it was the Messiah that would be providing the salvation.

“⁶There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. ⁷He came as a witness, to bear witness about the light, that all believe through him. ⁸He was not the light, but cam to bear witness about the light.” – John 1:6-8 (ESV)

We, as John are hear only to bring the name of Jesus to everyone. We are not here to soak up any glory or reward here in this world, as we are only here for a short while as we pass through to heaven. We are to be the one holding the candle that is the light, not to be the light ourselves.

“⁹The true light, which enlightens everyone was coming into the world.” – John 1:9 (ESV)

Jesus is coming again and it is my duty to let His light shine so that all can see and have the opportunity to accept the salvation he provides so they too will find glory in heaven.

When you think about your role for Christ here in this world, do you think somehow that you are the light? What if you were to realize that you are only holding the candle that is the light so all could see? What if you were, as John the Baptist did, proclaim that you are only here to bear witness of the light?

Responsibility is something that can weigh heavy on someone. Knowing that it is my job or I am “in charge” of a task and its completion can be overwhelming and seem almost insurmountable.

“³⁰For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light. ²⁹Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” – Matthew 11:30 & 29 (ESV)

Jesus declares to get along, we should look to Him for our approach. And when we do, we will be granted rest in the work. I will say that it is a difficult concept to grasp. We are doing work, yet the work is restful?

As I look at the concept, I can only compare it to what some may refer to as being “in the zone” or in a “state of flow”. I watch a lot of sport and witness regularly, an athlete that seems to effortlessly excel. They go on a 10 for 10 hitting streak in baseball or softball, run for 300 yards in a football game, or card a 65 in golf. My youngest son scored 21 points in a basketball game and his highest total to that point was 11. Each of these seemed to complete these easily and when asked, they simply say they were “in the zone”. My son even told me that he wasn’t even getting great easy shots, they were just somehow going in.

As I continue to study and reach for what I know, they were able to complete those feats based on the work they did to prepare and the comfort and love of the work. They admit that when it was all over, they were tired physically and mentally, but the sort of tired that they were eager to do it again. The work was not a burden at all.

When I am doing the work of Christ, I should find comfort and love of the work, and where I may be tired physically and mentally, that tired should make me eager to do it again. That is what is meant, as I see it, when Jesus says “my burden is light”.

When you are working for Jesus, are you tired both physically and mentally? What is your experience with that work and your comfort and love of the work? Are you able to think of the burden of the work being “light”?

Too often I must say that I am too quiet and not willing to stand up and be counted or recognized for the one that I am. I am a child of God and that is certainly not something that I should be quiet about.

“¹⁴You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. ¹⁵Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. ¹⁶In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.” – Matthew 5:14-16 (ESV)

I have studied this verse a number of times over the past few years and each time I was brought here as I studied a different word, this time studying the word “light”.

As a child of God it is my duty to stand tall for Him. I am lean on the courage supplied by Him to to the work He has for me. I am not to be ashamed, or timid, or concerned with the worldly consequences of my allegiance to Him. As Paul was willing to go to prison and ultimately killed for His devotion to God and all that God had for him to do, so should I.

Back in 2018, I was in a study of the word “world”, and wrote the below:

Jesus tells us in the verses above that our light should shine for others to see. As I read the commentary in one of my Bibles, we should:

1. Not be quiet when we should speak
2. Not be going along with the crowd
3. Not deny the light
4. Not let sin dim our light
5. Be explaining our light to other
6. Not ignore the needs of others

It is up to me to live the six points above each and every day as I go through this world. And as I do, I will bring glory to God as I do the work He has for me.

Are you letting your light shine? What are you doing to be the light? How can you be the light for God in your own life?

Every thing starts somewhere and at sometime. Jesus’ ministry had a beginning, and whereas, yes, he taught in the temple at about age 12, His official ministry began much later. That time is noted in the book of Matthew in chapter 4, where the one that came to prepare the way for Him, John the Baptist, was arrested and gave way to Jesus. Jesus moved to Capernaum and began His work just as had been prophesied by Isaiah.

“¹⁷From that time Jesus began to preach, saying, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.’” – Matthew 4:17 (ESV)

It seems like such a redundant thing to me that Jesus had to “begin” His ministry, as my knowledge of Jesus has always been that of Savior and Lord. But just as everything else, it is a matter of perspective and timing. Had I been in that time, I would have been ignorant to Jesus and would have needed to be pointed in the direction of His ministry beginning.

Isn’t it similar today in that there are those that do not know of the glorious gift of salvation provided by Jesus’ death on the cross, and there are those that are not aware of the ministry of Jesus. His ministry is always beginning somewhere to and with someone. I am the bearer of that ministry in my life and have the duty to be sure that His word is spread for all to hear.

I have to remember that to me the ministry of Jesus began a long time ago, and as such, it is my duty to continue that ministry today in my life with those around me.

When you are out, what vision do you have of the ministry of Jesus? What awareness do you have of the beginning of His ministry? What part are you going to play in the beginning of Jesus’ ministry?

When it comes to light, I never thought of the idea of do I work for it, or does it work for me. This morning I am continuing my study of the “light” and was reminded of the idea that light is the servant of me. Yes, I work to provide the means by which I can get light, but the light itself serves my needs. When it is dark, it provides the way for me to see. When the path is covered, it provides the visibility as to which way to go. When things are dull around me, I use light to brighten things up.

“⁶…I will make you as a light for the nations, that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth.” – Isaiah 49:6b (ESV)

I read the passage above this morning and was illuminated (pun intended) to the service provided by Christ for me in this world. Christ is the light for the world. When things are dark, He lights it up. When the path is covered, He provides the visibility as to which way to go. When things are dull, He brightens them up. I am not able to continue without the light that is Christ.

How do you see light, as a servant or something you work for? What about Christ, how is it that you see Him? What can be done to remember Christ as the light and servant of your life?

I remember watching the movie with Jim Carrey, “Bruce Almighty”. And in the movie, “Bruce” is answering prayers as he fills in for God. Just when he thinks he has answered them all, painstakingly to him, reading through them all in email his email box refreshes and is filled with too many for him to work through. In the interest of answering all prayers, he selects them all and says “YES” to all the requests, only to awake the next day and the world is in disarray.

“⁷I form light and create darkness, I make well-being and create calamity, I am the LORD, who does all these things.” – Isaiah 45:7 (ESV)

God is in control of all and every prayer is answered with precision. As we are communicating with God, He is listening intently, whenever and whatever that might be. He knows what is in store for me and begins to look at my requests and how that fits into the plans He has for me. And, if it fits as He has planned, then His answer is yes, if it does not, then the answer is no or here is something instead. Just because He does not give me what I want does not mean that He does not give me what I need.

God demonstrates to me daily that He has a purpose for me. He formed light and created darkness to show that He does have a purpose in all that He does. As a parent I have to say no to things in the interest of guiding my boys to better choices. God does the same for me. He guides me to make choices that glorify Him and keep me moving to complete the tasks He has laid out for me.

How are you accepting the answers God gives to your prayers? Are you looking for the answer of yes, or are you looking at how to glorify Him? What if you were to embrace that God demonstrates His purpose for you through His answers?