From the moment that God the Creator said, "Let there be light" (Genesis 1: 3) this strange stuff has been around to be seen every day. We are told in the canon of Scripture that light exists in spiritual form, namely, 'There was a man sent from God whose name was John. This man came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all through him might believe. He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light. That was the true Light which gives light to every man coming into the world.'(John 1: 6-9).
This person referred to as 'the Light' was born in Israel, in a small town called Bethlehem (the city of king David) when Israel was under Roman occupation, because His parents were required to register there for taxation purposes, and He became known as Jesus of Nazareth - since this was the village in which He grew up. During His earthly ministry that began at about the age of thirty He stated, "And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness more than light, because their deeds were evil. For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God." (John 3: 19-21). He said of Himself, "I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life." (John 8: 12).
Jesus of Nazareth could quite easily have gone on a power trip, led a revolt to overthrow Roman occupation of Israel, then established Himself as Israel's promised King and Messiah - given His power, any 'natural' man would have done so.
Instead, this Jesus simply lived a perfect, holy, harmless and spotless life, absolutely according to the law given to Moses by the LORD then, when it was the time, He presented His body to be sacrificed on the altar of a Roman cross, as an atonement and propitiation for all the sins of every human being. And God, whom Jesus called His Father, saw fit to pour out His anger against human wickedness, iniquity and sin on the person of His own Son, to the point of an agonizing death. This in order that His Son, by choice, would redeem with His own spilt blood a people forgiven by the Father able to stand in the presence of God clothed in the righteousness of Christ the Lord Himself. No wonder Scripture says, 'For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing' (I Corinthians 1: 18)!
Spiritual light as personified by Jesus of Nazareth is, according to Him, the very essence of God the Creator: having an everlasting quality freely available to all who turn to Him as their Saviour, and able to break forever the grip and bondage of this world's darkness to gain victory over death itself. His word was, "I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly." (John 10: 10). His promise is, "In My Father's house are many dwellings; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also." (John 14: 1-3).
Looking back over my life, I can see that a 'light commission' was laid out for me from the beginning: in all the ensuing years and paths followed and skills learned, I was being prepared to serve my Lord, my Saviour, my King. The apostle Paul phrased it perfectly when he said, "Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me." (Philippians 3: 12). With all who are also called to do so, my particular way of uniting the light of the world with the light of God's word, is the means I have to bear 'Witness of the Light' as the Lord Jesus Christ commanded, saying, "and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth." (Acts 1: 8).
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