“Do all things without grumbling or disputing, so that you will be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world.”
- Paul the Delegate...
I grew up on the east coast, where fireflies (also known as lightning bugs) were a prominent and cherished part of every summer.
I love the golden light fireflies produce by means of the chemicals luciferin and luciferase. Sometimes, we would catch them and put them in a jar. Tiny Lucifers, enough lightning bugs could light up a room.
Fellow Christian, are you a Lucifer?
Traditionally, it seems so, although some might disagree. The word itself means "light-bearer" or "bringer of light." Attaching this idea to Satan comes from a few biblical passages that seem to do so. In the prophecy of Isaiah, we read:
"How you have fallen from heaven,
O star of the morning, son of the dawn!
You have been cut down to the earth,
You who have weakened the nations!"
- Isaiah 14:12
And, in the New Testament:
"And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as a messenger of light."
- 2 Corinthians 11:14
But, in his role as "the god of this age" who through his minions governs all the nations of this world, Satan does this:
"The god of this age has blinded the minds of the unbelieving so that they might not see the light of the good news of the glory of the Annointed, who is the image of God."
- 2 Corinthians 4:4
I hope you realize that—as Christians—we are ALL to be "Little Lucifers?"
To refresh our memory, let's take a walk through a little of what the Bible teaches about light. The sequence is:
Light -> Life -> Love -> Good Works -> The Father's Glory
God is light:
"And this is the message we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is Light, and in Him there is no darkness at all."
- 1 John 1:5
And so, of course, Jesus is light:
"Then Jesus again spoke to them, saying, “I am the Light of the world; he who follows Me will never walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life."
-John 8:12
Jesus light produces life, and that life in turn produces even more light:
"In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men. And the Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overtake it."
- John 1:4-5
God is also love. He loves us by his Spirit, and thus we are enabled to love:
"And hope does not disappoint, because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who has been given to us."
- Romans 5:5
And:
"We love, because He first loved us."
- 1 John 4:19
Jesus tells us to spread the light in our world by good works, resulting in our Father's glory:
“You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden; nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven."
- Matthew 5:14-16
How? We are to encourage one another to do keep doing this:
"And let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the day drawing near."
_ Hebrews 10:24-25
"And we have as more sure the prophetic word, to which you do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star arises in your hearts." - 2 Peter 1:19
Let us let King Jesus' light illuminate our minds and hearts and lives, and then wherever we go, we will make Jesus' light available.
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