FOR THE LOVE OF GOD

The LORD is my light and my salvation; Whom shall I fear? – Psalm 27:1.

“No one, when he has lit a lamp, puts it in a secret place or under a basket, but on a lampstand, that those who come in may see the light. . . . If then your whole body is full of light, having no part dark, the whole body will be full of light, as when the bright shining of a lamp gives you light.” – Luke 11:33, 36.

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.” – John 8:12.

Back in the beginning of 1971, just a couple of years after I gave my heart to the Lord, a Southern-Gospel group, the Happy Goodmans did a live release of a song written by Ronny Hinson the year before in 1970. It was entitled, “The Lighthouse” and it became a number one song in the hearts of Gospel music fans all over the world.

Chorus:
There’s a lighthouse on the hillside that overlooks life’s sea.
When I’m tossed it sends out a light that I might see.
And the light that shines in darkness now will safely lead me home,
If it wasn’t for the lighthouse, my ship would sail no more.¹

I loved that song and soon took up my guitar and started singing it in church. As time went by, I still loved that song, but the theology behind it started to change in my mind a bit when I started studying the Word of God and becoming more personally intimate with the Lord.

I want to briefly share with you some of those thoughts in the hope of encouraging and inspiring each and everyone of you to let the light of Jesus Christ shine out to a storm-tossed and chaotic world.

Part of that song as it goes along tells us that Jesus is the lighthouse and that is the part I want to center on for a bit. It will always be a great and inspirational song to me as it has truly become a Gospel classic over the past fifty years.

The Bible tells us that Jesus is the light of the world as shown in the Scriptures given at the beginning. He is the light from the very beginning and I could go on with a lengthy lesson just on that fact alone. However, keep in mind that fact; Jesus IS the light of the world.

Think back now to what Jesus told the disciples concerning His followers and light. We aren’t the light, but we have the light, and since we have the light, what are we to do with it? Jesus tells us that if you truly have the light, you don’t hide it. You don’t place it under a bed, in a clay pot or cover it with a basket. Rather, you take that light and you place it on a stand so that it lights the whole area, thus chasing away the darkness. I gave you the Scripture from the gospel of Luke, above, but Matthew states it slightly different:

“You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.” – Matthew 5:14-16.

Jesus said that you, speaking to His disciples, of which all believers are, are like a lighted city on a hill, simply put, at a vantage point allowing all to see the light. In other words, we are to carry that light and allow it to shine from the most advantageous spot for all to see.

Now we all know that lighthouses are always constructed right where the greatest storms have a tendency of passing by. They are constructed, not so that sailors can see the lighthouse itself, but rather, the light reflected from the lighthouse. When a ship is going through a ravaging storm, the waves are crashing all about and the lightning is illuminating the clouds above, the sailors don’t see the actual lighthouse, but they do see the light. Especially if it sits high or on a hill.

So consider this; when a lighthouse is constructed, it has to withstand gale-force winds and crashing rain. It has to stand solid, so many lighthouses are constructed on bedrock, the stones that are nearly impossible to move or shift. Who is our bedrock? Who is it that is our rock on which we stand and are built? The Psalms tell us specifically:

The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer; My God, my strength, in whom I will trust; My shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. – Psalm 18:2.

It is God, through Christ Jesus, who is our bedrock. He is our firm and steady foundation on which we are to build our lives. He is the foundation that cannot be moved no matter the storms that life sends our way.

Now here is the thing. We are built on that foundation, but what kind of structure are we to be? Jesus said that we are to be the vessel to shine His light to all the surrounding area. We are the vessel, the construction, built by Him on His solid foundation to reflect His light to the world and especially through the storms of life. We aren’t built so that others can see what grand constructions we are, rather, we are built upon Him, to shine His light so that as we raise Him up, His light will draw all peoples through the storms of life to a safe haven (John 12:32).

So, in essence, we, as disciples and believers are the lighthouse. We are built upon the solid rock, the foundation built upon the Chief cornerstone, Jesus Christ. We are the vessel or construction built to shine forth His light to all those around us.

One last thing I have to point out; the light, for it to shine forth at its brightest has to have a power source. Jesus Himself is the power source, but, for us to shine it forth, the power has to come from within the vessel or construction itself. Think about that for a moment. Jesus is the powerful light, but for the lighthouse to reflect that powerful light, the power has to come from within and that power necessary for us to shine the Light of the Lord has to come from the Holy Spirit. The power source, within us. (Acts 1:8) Only when we are tapped into that power source do we as vessels, as lighthouses, have the power to reflect to the world the light of Christ Jesus. We can’t do it within ourselves, but on Him the solid rock, we are built to house His power in the form of His Holy Spirit and shine forth His light to a world tossed with storms and chaos.

In closing, I have to ask, are you tapped into that power source? Is that  power source abiding within you so that you can reflect the light of Christ Jesus throughout the whole world? Don’t be like those abandoned lighthouses that we sometimes see, with no power, no light and therefore no use. They can’t help anyone through the storms that do come by them.

Jesus is the Light, but each of us can be the lighthouse that He constructed us to be to reflect His light to others.

¹ The Lighthouse © 1970 Ronny Hinson. All rights reserved. (Lyrics free for non-commercial use)
Unless otherwise noted, Scripture taken from the New King James Version®, NKJV © 1982 by Thomas Nelson.
Used by permission. All rights reserved.