The first recorded words that God uttered, in Genesis 1:3, are “Let there be light.” From God’s Word, we learn the importance of light—both physical light and spiritual light. The greatness of all that God ever did and ever will do between the time of Genesis 1:3 and Revelation 22:5 is to make light available to man, because God is Light. God is the Source of spiritual light, and He desires that we shine with His light and make His light available in the world.
I John 1:5:
This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.
The presence of God is all light and no darkness at all. Did you know that the presence of God is man’s “natural environment,” man as he ought to be? God desires that we live in an environment of all light. He desires that we shine in the world, illuminated with His light.
How do we shine as lights in the world? Since “God is light,” then His Word, which is authored by Him, brings light. That means we can shine as lights in the world by sharing the Word we know and live.
John 8:12:
Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.
Jesus Christ was the light of the world; he was God’s Word in the flesh. And when we follow the Lord Jesus Christ, God’s Word promises that we shall have the light of life.
I John 1:7:
But if we walk in the light, as he [God] is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.
Walking in light is walking in fellowship with God, Who is light. “Walk” in this verse does not only mean a way to move our body forward; it is a figurative way of expressing one’s continued course of action and life. When we walk in fellowship with God, which is walking according to His Word, we plug into the “Light Source,” and we have a luminous life. We abide in light, making it our environment. And we then have light to share with others.
Philippians 2:15,16:
That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke [without blemish], in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation [generation], among whom ye shine as lights in the world;
Holding forth the word of life….
God desires that we make His light available to others. When we walk on God’s Word and hold it forth, we shine as lights in the world. God’s spoken Word always brings light. We don’t hide that light—we walk in it, we talk about it. When we hold forth the Word, we are turning the light on for others. We can open their eyes with the truth we speak.
Acts 26:18:
To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me.
For people in need, we can show them the way out of the darkness that surrounds them. The light of God’s Word pierces through even the thickest darkness and shows others the way to God’s heart.
God truly has shined His light in our hearts, and He had a purpose for doing so—that we might shine so that others can see the light of His Word.
II Corinthians 4:6:
For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God [the knowledge of the glorious God] in the face of Jesus Christ.
We walk so that the light of the knowledge of the glorious God in us can be seen by others. God’s Word gives light. Since God has shined that light in our hearts, we can speak the Word! We can speak the light!
God is Light. And we can shine His light in the world as we follow in the steps of our Lord Jesus Christ, holding forth God’s Word. Our joy and responsibility is to let that glorious light of God’s Word shine, setting men and women free from the darkness that is in the world. So let’s stay plugged into our Light Source and hold forth God’s Word, shining as lights in the world!