~ Balance your Light Beam

The words of Jesus

Jesus once again addressed them: "I am the world's Light. No one who follows me stumbles around in the darkness. I provide plenty of light to live in."  John 8:12

And

"Here's another way to put it: You're here to be light, bringing out the God-colors in the world. God is not a secret to be kept. We're going public with this, as public as a city on a hill. If I make you light-bearers, you don't think I'm going to hide you under a bucket, do you? I'm putting you on a light stand. Now that I've put you there on a hilltop, on a light stand—shine! Keep open house; be generous with your lives. By opening up to others, you'll prompt people to open up with God, this generous Father in heaven.  Matt 5:14-16

There is probably only one thing that is as clear as these verses and that is the last verses in Matthew.

Light has two main functions, on the one hand it draws others in and on the other it illuminates both good and evil.  One of the things that we need to learn to do is to find a balance between these two functions.

As followers of a loving God our main job is to draw others to an experience of Him. Anyone who has been out in the country can attest to the welcome of a light afar off in the night.  It gives a sense of security to the traveller.  In a time of crisis any light is something that we head straight to and this is what Jesus was speaking of in the Good News of Matthew.  He calls us a light on the hill that is there for all to see and come too.

Jesus once went to the Temple and was outraged by the corruption that was taking place in the pursuit of religious practice.  In our living for the Master we also shine a light on corruption and evil.  When we read the account of Jesus clearing out the Temple there are some significant aspects.  Probably the most important of these is that it was premeditated, He didn’t just loose it so to speak.  He went to the Temple saw the corruption and went His way.  He left to make a whip, it gave a period of cool down.  When He returned with His whip and wrecked that place of business. He established why He was there and that He meant business.  He had a God reason for what He did, and made sure that everyone who was there knew why He did it.

We are in the same position as imitators of Christ.  As such we need to balance the “prophet” form of light with the love that we find from Father. 

So our second form of light is the function of a searchlight.  A searchlight’s function is to provide a warning of danger and keep others save by enabling them to avoid the danger.  The world we live in has been corrupted to its essence; mankind has chosen to go every way possible against the Way of God.  Our task is to shine a light in those areas where people are standing against God and to illustrate that practise. It is also the harder of the two functions because of the need to also shine God’s love into these people’s lives.

I believe this was why Jesus went away and plaited the whip.  He needed to control His anger at how the Temple His Father’s house had been abused.  We are in the same position that we need to ensure that what we do is honouring to Father.