Are You a Light, Am I?

Our love makes us lights in the world. Without love we still live in darkness, but our love, which provides a sharp contrast with the way of the world, shines for all the world to see. Why is our love a light? One reason is because love reveals life the way it is supposed to be lived. The world is filled with places where people are abused, where they are taken for granted, or they are simply ignored. If we as Chrstians participate in these same actions then we will look exactly like the rest of the world. To be lights requires that we stand apart from the world. If we can’t love ourselves and other Christians, how can we love those in the world? If we can’t love ourselves and other Christians, why would the unloved who are lost want to be a part of God's Family? Our love for each other meets a need that everyone has in their hearts.

Another reason love makes us lights is because love deals with our actions. Truth deals with thoughts and philosophies which are constantly argued and debated. When we reduce Christianity down to being just a truth, we turn it into just another philosophical discussion that is to be debated. If the truth of Christianity is lived out through our love then the Gospel moves from something that is debated to something that is real, practical and transforming. Our love is proof that the message is true.

To be lights in the world means that we love: Love God, love ourselves and love the lost. We can possess all the correct doctrine and have all the rational arguments for God's existence, but they are meaningless without love. What sometimes frustrates me is to see people who claim to be standing for "God's Truth," but who are so very unloving in their approach. Sometimes I agree with what they are saying, but I shake my head because by their approach I know they have missed the point. When we live in an unloving manner we prove that we are living in darkness!

 So how can we live a life of love? It begins by doing loving actions, regardless of how we feel about the person or situation. If we wait until we feel like loving then we will never love. Love begins by making the choice. The choice to be kind and respectful to other people. The choice to show love to someone even you don't feel like it at the time. When we do this, we begin to shine in the dark world around us.