Be a Lamp, Not a Laser!

As a Christian, you’ve probably heard that “You are the light of the world” (Matthew 5:14-15).. That’s an amazing task really. We’ve been given a special gift that is meant to be infectious, displayed and shared. We are meant to stand out, to be noticed, to be different.

If you’ve ever experienced absolute darkness, it can be a scary reality. But in the midst of pitch black, a faint glow from the tiniest source of light can illuminate your surroundings immensely. It can take a while for your eyes to adjust, but before long the light from a single candle or single star in the sky can change the way you see the darkness.

However, sometimes we can take this charge of being “the light” to an extreme. We can leave prudence, humility and even true love aside. We can become zealous in a way that no longer provides a hopeful glow, but rather turns into a burning destructive laser.

I know what you’re thinking, lasers are powerful! That’s right, lasers can cut through things and do great damage! I’d suggest that we are not called to be a forceful intruding laser beam to the world, but rather a peaceful glow, constant and faithful.

After all, in that famous passage in Matthew 5:14-15, Jesus compares the light of the world to a lamp. Many translate this as a candle or lamp stand. The Greek word “luchnos” suggests it is a portable oil filled lamp on a stand. This portability is significant because we are commissioned to go to the ends of the earth to preach the Gospel (Matthew 28), yet many times we park our lamps inside the walls of our churches. The oil that fuels the lamp is the Holy Spirit within us and we need to ensure we are in communion with God and faithfully keeping watch so that we don’t run out of oil (Matthew 25:1-13). The lamp itself is on a stand, reflecting two critical necessities: 1. our faith rooted in Christ (Colossians 2:7) and 2. the church being the pillar and support of truth (1 Timothy 3:15). Without these groundings our lamp cannot stand, cannot endure.

A single lamp doesn't necessarily provide the most immense light, but when many are gathered together can be an outpost of hope, a lighthouse of sorts, guiding the lost home.

“You are the light of the world, a city set on a hill cannot be hidden” (Matthew 5:14-15).