True Light

Scripture--
"No one lights a lamp and then hides it or puts it under a basket. Instead, it is put on a lampstand to give light to all who enter the room...If you are filled with light, with no dark corners, then your whole life will be radiant, as though a floodlight is shining on you."
Luke 11:33, 36

Observation/Application--
Jesus talks a lot about being light to the world--He calls Himself the Light of the world. When we receive Christ, we become His light to the dark world. As a kid, I remember singing "This little light of mine, I'm gonna let it shine..." and doing all the cheesy hand-motions that went along with the song. I sang that song all over the house, all over school, and everywhere I went. (Yeah, I was a dork.) Funny how I seemed to grasp that concept so much better as a kid. Am I ever-conscious of being the light of Christ to the world now? Maybe I need to learn a lesson from the kid version of myself. If we're truly carrying the light of Christ, then it will give light to ALL who are in the room with us, to ALL who come into our lives. Not just to certain people we "feel" like ministering to.

One thing God has really been challenging me on in the last year or so is transparence. Being real with people, and being the same person--the person God made me to be--no matter who I'm with. Taking off the mask. Being honest, rawly honest. Acting the same way with my non-Christian friends as I am with my brothers and sisters in Christ. And it is HARD to do. The verse from Luke 11:36, talking about "dark corners," really challenged me on this a little over a year ago: I realized in about February of 2003 that I had a bunch of dark corners in my life. Secrets and past mistakes I was afraid to let people know about because I didn't want to be judged or rejected. But God showed me that this fear and this attempt to keep some dark corners in my life were only holding me back from letting His light shine through my whole life. So I began to let go of it all. I confessed sins, revealed my innermost fears and secrets to the people I was close to, asked for prayer in these areas, and as a result began to grow tremendously in my faith and in my witness to others. That radiant life that Jesus promises began to flow through me in new ways! In true light, there is no darkness.

Are there any dark corners in your life? Is God asking for you to let Him shine His floodlight there to get rid of the shadows?

Prayer--
Lord, thank You that You are the true light. You give light to all men. Please help me to allow You to shine Your light into every corner of my life, that my life might be a pure and holy reflection of Your radiant light. I love You.