LIGHT

Matthew 5:14‭-‬16 ‬‬‬

“You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.

INSIGHT
-Light in Greek is written as phos which means to shine or make manifest, especially by rays. Numerous passages have referenced the word light; right from the beginning when God said; let there be light (Gen 1:3-4), then God made two great lights: the greater light to rule the day and the lesser light to rule the night (Gen 1:16), the Jews had light and gladness, joy and honor (Est 8:16), the Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear (Ps 27:1), secret sins are drawn away by Gods’ light (Ps 90:8), Gods’ word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path (Ps 119:105), Daniel had the Spirit of God in him, yielding light, understanding and excellent wisdom (Dan 5:14), the lamp of the body is the eye, when your eye is good, then the whole body also is full of light (Lk 11:34-36), In Christ was life and the life was the light of men (Jn 1:4-5), Jesus is the light of the world (Jn 8:12), satan transforms himself into an angel of light (2 Cor 11:14), but you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light (1 Peter 2:9), God is light and in Him there is no darkness at all (1 John 1:5), the city had no need of the sun or of the moon to shine in it, for the glory of God illuminated it, the Lamb is its light (Rev 21:23).
-Christians are called to be the salt and light of the world. The primary function of salt is to enhance taste and does not sugar-coat the truth; to please the world. Light also drives away darkness and reveals the truth about Jesus to the world. Like John who was sent to bear witness of the Light that all might believe, we too are called to bear witness to Christ (Jn 1:6-9). We are told that those who are friends to the world create enmity with God (James 4:4). As Christians we are reminded to live as children of light living in all goodness, righteousness and truth, and doing what pleases the Lord (Eph 5:8-10). Jesus calls us to allow our light to shine before others, that they may see our good deeds and glorify God. A holy life gives the deepest impression of light. Our words and deeds should therefore draw others to Christ which is our account for discipleship.  It is our responsibility as the church (the body of Christ), to draw others to Him in our great commission and proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ to the whole world. 

PRAYER
Lord You are our Light and our Salvation, we trust in You. We thank You Jesus for we have began a new week in perfect health; all glory and thanksgiving belong to You. Many among us are sick, struggling and others have lost their loved ones; comfort them merciful Father with Your peace. Others do not know You and live in darkness; may You shine the brightness of Your countenance upon them merciful Father. Cleanse us from all evil by Your precious blood Jesus and make us as white as snow; we humbly beseech You. You have called us to be the light of the world Jesus, grant us the courage and wisdom to share Your light with the world as You gracefully shepherd us. May the light of Your salvation shine on us, our families, friends, nation and the world; as we faithfully seek Your presence everyday; Holy Spirit. Amen

Genesis 1:3-4 Then God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light. And God saw the light, that it was good; and God divided the light from the darkness.

INSIGHT -In Hebrew, light is written as or & it means shine, brighten, illuminate, kindle
-Light is used for photosynthesis, electricity, energy, power, medical research, optics etc
-In Rev 21:23, The city had no need of the sun or of the moon to shine in it, for the glory of God illuminated it. The Lamb is its light. In John 1:4, In Him was life, and the life was the light of men.
-God made light by Word which is power in Himself. Without Him there was nothing & in Him are all things. The light is Christ.

PRAYER You are the beginning & the end, Father. Shine Your light in our hearts to eliminate all darkness & may we share in Your way, truth & life. Amen

Daniel 5:14 I have heard of you, that the Spirit of God is in you, and that light and understanding and excellent wisdom are found in you.

INSIGHT -Beshazzar, son of king Nebuchadnezzar & king of Babylon, was greatly troubled by the writing on the wall ‘MENE MENE TEKEL UPHARSIN’. He summoned Daniel to interpret it for him as all the astrologers & wise men had failed to do it.
-The Spirit of God in us provides light, understanding & excellent wisdom.

PRAYER Holy Spirit, shine Your light in our hearts so that we may access Your excellent wisdom & understanding. Lead us so that we can make wise decisions in all our undertaking. Amen

2 Corinthians 11:13-15 For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into apostles of Christ. And no wonder! For Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also transform themselves into ministers of righteousness, whose end will be according to their works.

INSIGHT -Satan himself transforms into an angel of light to deceive many. False prophets & satans ministers also show great signs & wonders as cautioned by Jesus in Mat 24:24. -In Acts 16:16, a slave girl possessed with a spirit of divination (python spirit) was able to foretell the future which profited her masters.

PRAYER Protect us from false prophets & satans ministers, Jesus who deceive many in Your name. Give us the gift of discernment to be able to hear Your true voice. Amen

1 John 2:10-11 He who loves his brother abides in the light, and there is no cause for stumbling in him. But he who hates his brother is in darkness and walks in darkness, and does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes.

INSIGHT -Love for neighbour causes one to abide in light & have a sense of direction; for one cannot love another without loving God.

PRAYER Thank you, Father for Your everlasting love for us. Impart the same love in us so that we can love You & one another with a greater love. We also ask You, Father; to forgive us our sins & to help us forgive those who trespass against us. Amen

John 8:12 Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.”

INSIGHT -God created light by word which was light in Himself, which was Him; who is the beginning & the end/ With light in us we access understanding & excellent wisdom/ Satan transforms into an angel of light & his ministers deceive people in righteousness/ love for others causes us abide in light & walk in the direction of truth.

PRAYER We thank You, Father & praise Your holy name for all the things You have done unto us through out the year. Shine Your light in our hearts to give us Your purpose in our lives & light of life. May we love our neighbour as ourselves so that we can share in Your truth, peace & joy. Amen

Psalm 119:104-105

Through Your precepts I get understanding; Therefore I hate every false way. Your word is a lamp to my feet And a light to my path.

INSIGHT
-The Word of God offers direction to our way of life which is equated to light. Topical matters like: – gambling, same sex relationships and marriages, polygamy, bigamy, prostitution, sexual immorality, lust, pornography and masturbation, jealousy, murder, corruption, theft, laziness, work, alcoholism, drug abuse, death and eternal life, healing of diseases, children and parental responsibilities, leadership and governance, the church, our ultimate conduct, what God requires of us, our portion as Christians, the gifts and fruit of the Holy Spirit, the grace of God, the Holy Trinity etc, have been addressed in the Bible. The Lord often told the Israelites as He tells us today to keep His statutes with a promised to prosper us. These precepts are foundational for every Christian life as each one is called to take us his/her cross and follow Jesus; the author and finisher of our faith. Through the word of God our thoughts, words and deeds are established as the Holy Spirit guides us in the path of light regarding all issues of life. Without the word of God; then we walk in darkness for Word is Christ Himself. God is light and in Him there is no darkness at all (1 Jn 1:5-10). In the parable of the sower; some seeds fell on the paths, others on the rocky ground and the fruitful seeds fell on the fertile soil. This parable represents our reception to the word of God. We are reminded to let the word of Christ dwell in us richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and singing with grace in our hearts to the Lord, and whatever we do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him (Col 3:16‭-‬17).

PRAYER
Lord You are clothed with majesty and gird Yourself with strength. You reign over all the heavens and the earth we believe in You Jesus. We thanks You Lord our Father for Your everlasting love upon us; help us to love You and our neighbours as ourselves. Forgive us our sins Jesus and those of the whole world. Deliver us from all evil Father and grant us peace. We surrender our lives, families, society, churches, leaders and nation to You Lord; dwell deeply in our hearts and mold us so that we may always desire Your divine purposes. Your word is a lamb to our feet and a light to our path. Teach us Your ways Lord and guide us in paths of righteousness. Amen

1 Peter 2:9

But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.

INSIGHT
-It is through the love of God that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. The Holy Spirit then testifies with our spirit that we are children of God. If we are His children, then we are heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in His sufferings in order that we may also share in His glory (Rom 8:15-21). This has only been made possible by the grace of God and not by our own works lest anyone should boast; and He calls us to give thanks and praises to Him. God has thus chosen us to be a royal priesthood, a holy nation and His own special people. Christ has given us His grace and when we were still in darkness; He showed us His marvelous light through the gift of salvation.

PRAYER
We sing praises to You Lord; God Almighty Who was, Who is and Who is to come. All glory honour, wisdom, salvation and praise belongs to You Jesus. You are the Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and the End, the First and the Last, we proclaim Your name on high. Thank You for choosing us to be Your children, a royal priesthood, a holy nation and Your own special people; all power and majesty belong to You Abba Father. Our Father who at in heaven hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come; thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. Lead us not into temptations but deliver us from all evil. For thine is the kingdom the power and the glory, forever and ever. Amen

1 John 2:8-11

Again, a new commandment I write to you, which thing is true in Him and in you, because the darkness is passing away, and the true light is already shining. He who says he is in the light, and hates his brother, is in darkness until now. He who loves his brother abides in the light, and there is no cause for stumbling in him. But he who hates his brother is in darkness and walks in darkness, and does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes. Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us (Rom 5:5).

INSIGHT
-John writes that love is synonymous to light, hate equal to darkness and there is no in between. Many times we have watched on the news, read in the newspapers and witnessed scenes of hatred in our society. While in the upper room, Jesus washed the disciples feet and spoke about doing good to others driving the point home; that each one should love their neighbour (Jn 13:14-15). Selfishness remain the root cause for hatred as ones eyes are blinded through personal focus which may cause one to stumble. A new commandment Jesus gave us saying that; we should love one another even as He loves us; so that many may know that we are His disciples (Jn 13:34-35). Love is a commandment from God and we are called to keep it and if one does not love his neighbour; he/she does not know God. As true Christians, we are called to love one another by walking in light. Love then does not have the ability to defile another for love is patient, love is kind, it does not envy, does not boast, it is not proud, it does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs, it does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres, love never fails (1 Cor 13:4-8). We then live in hope for the Holy Spirit has poured out His love in our hearts that we may always abide in Him as He abides in us.

PRAYER
Thank You God for loving us. Thank You for Your everlasting mercy and grace upon us. Fill us with Your love Holy Spirit that we may always love You and our neighbours as ourselves. We humbly ask You Jesus to remove the fog of darkness from our eyes that we may always see good from one another and never stumble. Grant us the grace Jesus to always forgive those who offend us as You forgive our wrong doings too. Guide us Father to always be willing to help those who need us most. Many are the evils in our hearts and our societies but Jesus You deliver us from them all. We thank You and praise Your holy name, help us Father to always walk in Your light; now and forever. Amen

John 8:12

I am the light of the world. Whoever follows Me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life”

INSIGHT
-Jesus often reveals His identity to us and today He tells us that He is the light of the world. Right before this declaration; the Pharisees and Scribes caught a woman with adultery and brought her to Jesus. Their intention was to kill her by stoning as it was written in the law of Moses. Through His response; Jesus taught how we ought to love one another saying, “He who has no sin; let him cast the first stone”. As each one was convicted by their conscience and they all left. Jesus did not also condemn the woman but told her to sin no more. It is therefore important to realize that we are all sinner and need Gods mercy and grace. Before condemning others we are called to love one another as Christ has loved us; as we are guided by His new commandment. To also place Christ at the center of our lives, relationships, marriages, nation and all we do, for we belong to Him.

SUMMARY
After forming the heavens and the earth; the first thing God created was light and He separated the sun from the moon (Gen 1:3-5). At the end of time; with the coming of the new Jerusalem; there will be no need for the sun and the moon for the Lamb who is Christ will be it’s Light (Rev 21:23). Jesus is the light of the world and in Him there is no darkness. He has called us to follow Him and His teachings as revealed through His word that we may never stumble. Often times we have evidenced scenarios where the truth has been sugar coated to please the hearers, especially when handling sensitive matters affecting our society. The word of God has revealed all things, stemming from leadership, relationships, marriage, respect, love, disease, healing, death, our identity and role as Christians, our hope in Christ and His promises, God and His Sovereignty, role children, men, women, youth, disciples etc. We have been called to be the salt and the light of the world and should address such issues as guided by the word of God. As we know the word of God is living and powerful, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart (Heb 4:12), and nothing can be hidden from Light. The Holy Spirit convicts the world of sin, righteousness and judgment (Jn 16:8), and our consciousness is aligned to His truth in our call to purity. We are reminded to also seek His guidance when we are at the cross roads and ask for His ancient paths where we can only find rest for our souls (Jer 6:16). Like the multitudes were unable to condemn the adulterous woman because of her sin, we are cautioned from judging and condemning other and are called to forgive and give generously (Mat 7:1). As His disciples, we have been commanded to walk with Jesus and share in His love, mercy and grace with one another.

PRAYER
You are the Beginning and the End Jesus, the First and the Last and the Light of the world; all glory and thanksgiving belong to You. Grant us Your mercy and grace Lord and lead us in Your path of light. Your love satisfies our souls; thank You for loving us Father. Fill us with Your love Holy Spirit that that we may always love You and our neighbours as ourselves. Cleanse us from all our trespasses, cover us with Your precious blood, and grant us the grace to forgive others. Help us Lord to always give generously and deliver us from hatred, judgment and condemnation. May the light of Your salvation shine bright in our lives, home, families, societies, nation and on the the whole world. Bless us Lord and keep us. May You shine Your face upon us and be gracious to us. May You lift up Your countenance upon us and grant us peace. Amen