Bible Verse of the Day Thursday September 1st, 2022

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.

Matthew chapters 5-7 is the account by the apostle Matthew of what is known as the Sermon on the Mount. Mark and John do not have any accounts of this greatest of all sermons, but Luke does have what appears to be a summary of the same event (Luke 6:17-49). Some contend that this may be a separate event; however, the parallels between the two writings (Luke and Matthew) would undoubtedly tend to support that they are the same event, with Luke's account being a summary of the Sermon.

Light is a recurring representation throughout God's Word. It symbolizes cleanliness, truth, wisdom, divine revelation, and God's presence. The Old Testament spoke of the true Light of the world as being the Promised Messiah (Isaiah 42:6; 49:6), and the New Testament declares that Jesus was the Light of the world (Matthew 4:16; 1 John 1:7); Jesus also said that "He was the Light of the world" (John 8:12; 9:5; 12:35).

The followers of Jesus are the Light of the world because the moon is light only because it reflects Light from the sun. So likewise, we are the Light reflecting the Light of the Son. Therefore, when Jesus says that we are the Light of the world, He is not only paying us a great compliment but also bestowing us an even greater responsibility. We must not only be ready to receive the Light that Jesus wants to shine on us, but we must always be prepared to reflect that Light to a lost, dark and dying world.

The lighthouses of the nineteenth century had no electric lights; they used oil lamps. The secret to that dim oil light from the lighthouse, shining far enough out to sea to warn incoming mariners of the rocky coast, was the reflectors. In the tower of every lighthouse, there was a great series of mirrors surrounding that small, dim oil wick. If the lighthouse keeper allowed these reflectors to become filthy and grimy, the Light would not go far enough to forewarn the incoming ships of the dangers ahead.

In the same way, as we are the reflectors for the Light of Christ Jesus, we must keep our reflectors clean and free from the soil of the world. If we allow our reflectors to become fouled and stained by the evil of the world, the Light of Jesus will not be able to reach the lost and forewarn them of the dangers that lay ahead if they do not come to the Light.

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