… Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

John 8:12 (NKJV)

This Scripture (above) from the Gospel of John comes a few chapters after Jesus said this:

Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil.

John 3:19 (NKJV)

Even a quick scan of the news reveals many evil deeds being done in these dark days. Where is the light of Christ in all this? Jesus explains where this light needs to come from when He says, “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.” (Matthew 5:14-15 NKJV)

In this statement, the you He refers to includes each of His followers, from that day to this. You, is you and me.

Like me, you may feel inadequate to overcome so much darkness, but we need to remember that the darker it is, the greater the impact of even the smallest glimmer of light.

I remember driving through the lonely countryside one dark night and seeing a pinpoint of light in the distance. The source of that light was miles away, but it warmed my heart just to know it was there. And think of the stars, so many lightyears away and how brightly they shine on the darkest night.

Many of us remember happily singing the Sunday school song, “This little light of mine, I’m gonna let it shine,” but since growing up we’ve forgotten its message. We’ve been hiding our Christianity for fear of standing out from the crowd, of not fitting in, or of being considered too religious, allowing darkness to reign, unchallenged.

Think what a difference even a few tiny lights gathered together can make. Light is a positive force, like heat. It radiates. Darkness, like cold, is simply the absence of that positive force. Therefore, darkness has no power of its own. Perhaps it is time to put your light on a lampstand and let it shine, let it shine, let it shine.