In the beginning, on the very first day, God created the light and called it good (Genesis 1). It wasn't until the fourth day that God made the sun and the moon. The good light was first. In 1 John 1:5, we read that God IS light. Revelation 21:23 tells us God's glory lights the Heavenly city and there is no need for sun or moon. Light symbolizes purity and holiness. It is the opposite of darkness that symbolizes evil and sin.
In Him There Is No Darkness
So often when we do evil, we hide it. We don't want it to come to the "light of day" as the expression goes. We don't want others to know the evil we have done but there is One who always sees and always knows. In Him there is no darkness. He reveals all our darkness and calls us out of it. If we remain there, in the dark, then we have no place in Him (John 1:6).
We Will Never Walk In Darkness
When the Wise Men were called from the east they followed the light, a star, that brought them directly to where the Christ child was. As we follow Christ's light in our lives, we will grow closer to Him as well. In John 8:12, we are reminded that those who follow Christ will NEVER walk in darkness but will have life's light, our Savior. Our walk will eventually lead us to our Heavenly home to live eternally with the Light.
Children Of The Light
In Isaiah 9:2, the great prophet says this,
"The people who walked in darkness Have seen a great light; Those who dwelt in the land of the shadow of death, Upon them a light has shined."
No longer do we have to live in "the land of the shadow of death" because now the Light has come to earth and dwelt among men. I Thessalonians 5:5 says that we are children of the light and we do not belong to darkness.
The Light Of The World
In Matthew 5:14-16, Jesus tells us that we, you and I as His followers, are the light of the world. Our light is not to be hidden but put on a lampstand for all to see. The world must look at us and see our good works and in turn glorify God. Our light should expose darkness in ourselves and in others. In John 3:20, Jesus tells us that people who do evil hate the light and don't want their wickedness exposed. This is our job as believers, to show light to the world to those who dwell in the shadow of death.
The good that we as believers do should always point to the truth that is Jesus. If the good we do brings praise to ourselves then it is best done in secret (Matthew 6: 2-4). Bringing glory to God is the only motivation we should have for our good works. Matthew 5:11-12 tells us we should shine our light before others even if that leads to persecution.
A Light To The Nations
So just as the Wise Men all those years ago approached the young Jesus bearing gifts and guided by a light so we too in this age bring our gifts of praise and love. As Jesus said whatever you do for the least of these you do for me (Matthew 25: 40). The light our Savior has given us will show us how we can share His light, a light to the nations, as Isaiah 49: 6 (b) says,
"I will give you as a light to the nations, to be my salvation to the end of the earth."
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