Growing up, I had days when my Dad or Mum would drive at night, and then the car opposite
them would be on full light while they were on half-light. They would then switch immediately to
full light in retaliation, like, "Mr. Man or Woman, I have full light too," lol. On some occasions, the
other driver switches to half-light upon realization, and on other occasions, that doesn’t happen.
Of course, it’s dark, and everyone is expected to have their lights on to see clearly, the problem
is just that one driver’s light is negatively affecting another driver.
The purpose of light is to illuminate, disrupt darkness, and enable one to see, however, the
problem comes when a particular light is blasting directly into your eyes that you end up shutting
them immediately. That light’s purpose is blinding and not enlightening.
“You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden.
Matt 5:14(NKJV)
We were called to shine as light. Our light is meant to shine brightly for the world to have sight
and not to blind them, it’s to guide and bring people into the love of God. But when we shine that
only to judge others like we’re the best thing since sliced bread, with no love in our interaction
with them, then we’re on our path to blinding them, light of the world don wake but are you
serving your purpose or is the effect of your light sending people away instead of drawing them
nearer?
Some of us are becoming more like the Jews, we’ve made ourselves custodians of the law and
special Police for the gospel, calling everyone out, not out of love but to prove a point that we’re
holier or more knowledgable, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ didn’t do that.
Let’s check the account of what happened to the woman caught in adultery in John 8, they had
brought her to Jesus to hear what he would say about the matter, Jesus didn’t condemn her; he
did the opposite.
John 8:10 When Jesus had raised Himself up and saw no one but the woman, He said
to her, “Woman, where are those accusers of yours? Has no one condemned you?”
John 8:11 She said, “No one, Lord.”
And Jesus said to her, “Neither do I condemn you; goand sin no more.”
Just play this out in our day and time, they had just caught a thief in your flat and everyone is
giving that thief a piece of their mind, then they ran to call you from your room to say, ‘hey what
do you have to say to this matter’, you’ll agree that the last thing on your mind at that moment
isn’t saying something loving or even preaching to that thief, you’ll want to give the person a
piece of your mind right? At that moment instead of shining your light for the thief to see, you’ll
be shining it so bright to blind his eyes from seeing.
In that same chapter 8 of John, after Jesus spoke to this woman in verse 11, He then made a
remarkable statement in verse 12
John 8:12 Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, “I am the light of the world. He who
follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.”
Wooow, meaning that even though I’m the light of the world, I’m not going to condemn you, I'm
going to show you the way so that you don’t walk in darkness, I want you to have life.
It’s amazing the standard Jesus has set for us, this is really mind-blowing, that in that very
moment when all we want to do is condemn, Jesus is saying ‘Shine that light, don’t get them
Blind’.
Your act of love when it’s least expected is a light calling others to see, that decision to listen
when no one cares, is going to leave a mark on someone’s heart, a mark that can begin the
life-changing journey that can turn their stony heart into full flesh.
Don’t let your first disposition toward people you meet be to judge them but be an open book, be
willing to love them irrespective of who they are, while hating the characteristic they possess
that isn’t Christlike, and still shine your light in love. Pray for them, when you need to
communicate the need for a change, do it in love and not out of spite or that superior position of
“I’m better than you”
At the end of the day, we’ve all been called into the Ministry of Reconciliation which is the
highest show of love to our brothers and sisters, however, we must do that with so much love.
Your fragrance of the knowledge of God is not to choke others but to get them blessed, there’s a
clear difference between spraying a perfume that is choking your roommate and one that just
gives that sweet fragrance that he/she would want to keep smelling. Let your knowledge of God
draw men closer to Him, light of the world, shine that light but don’t get others blind so that they
don’t further lose their way from the truth.
From your fellow Light of the world.
Ifekristi Ojediran.
Keep on shining
