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Topic: light (05/24/04)
TITLE: What Color Light Do You Shine? By Michael Antonovich 05/25/04 |
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In Matthew 5:14, Jesus tells us, ‘You are the light of the world’ and in 5:16 he says, ‘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.’ Obviously Jesus is telling us to spread his word in what we say and do. However, using the analogy of light is interesting because light by itself is colorless.
Before you start wondering if I’ve gone completely color blind and try to take away my driving license because I may not be able to tell the difference between the red and green traffic lights, let me explain. Light by itself may be colorless, but we perceive colors by the way light interacts with other things around us. Some portions of the light may be absorbed and others reflected by items around us giving the impression of colors. But what does this have to do with understanding Jesus’ reference to our being the light of the world.
Well, our words and our actions are perceived by all those around us and can be reflected back as colors. Some people have tuned out God and his word. They even deny His existence. In these cases, the light of God that shines on them is not radiated back so they appear as the color black. On the other hand believers are anxious to spread the word of God to everyone they meet through their actions and words. These people radiate the light of God back to everyone they meet and thus appear white.
But where are the other colors? When we spread the word of God or live the life Jesus wants us to live, there are people who will condemn and ridicule us. In these cases, our light is reflected back as a bright red. Others see our light and are inspired to learn more about Jesus and how they too can live a more righteous life and receive God’s grace. I color these people as green. Perhaps blue is the color of those who receive God’s word but become so focused on future prophesy that they forget about living today because they believe that there is no tomorrow. Yellow may represent the people who hear the word and see our actions, but are not quite sure what they need to do to join in.
Of course there are many other colors and shades in the way our light is perceived by others. In fact, the world is filled with colors when the word of God is spread. What color light are you?