Tag Archives: you are the light of the world

Light in darkness

The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. John 1:5

YOU are the light of the world. Matthew 5:14

Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. Matthew 5:15

These truths have been the theme of Go Light Our World^TM (GLOW) since its inception. Many of our writings have focused on the light of Jesus shining not only into the world, but also into the depths of our own darkness, pain, and sorrow. It is a very personalized aspect of Jesus, the light of the world, illuminating the dark areas of our life, including not only the cross we bear but also shining his convicting light on our sin of wrong doing and wrong believing. His Word is a lamp unto our feet so we don’t stumble. It is a light unto our path so we are not without direction in our lives. What a gracious God we have that cares for us enough to bring us out of our personal darkness.

Jesus said, “Come to me and I will give you rest.” But His light, expressed all throughout the gospel, was never intended to be simply a comforter we wrap around ourselves. It is living hope for a desperate and dark world! He says, “You are the light of the world.” Our response is to take His light and run to the darkness. The darkness might not understand the light any more than we fully grasp the light in the darkness of our personal struggles. None the less, the darkness will not overcome the light.

The physician Luke wrote:

“The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free…” Luke 4:18

Adlai Stevenson, in tribute to Eleanor Roosevelt upon her death said, “It is better to light a candle than to curse the darkness.” Shouldn’t that be our reply as well?! Instead of cursing the darkness in your own life, be it depression, pain, disappointment, or other woe, let the light of Jesus shine in you and it will in turn shine into our world. It is the reason you were created.

There is a candle in every soul
Some brightly burning, some dark and cold.
There is a Spirit who brings a fire,
Ignites a candle and makes His home

So carry your candle, run to the darkness
Seek out the helpless, confused and torn
Hold out your candle for all to see it
Take your candle, and go light your world.

(Chris Rice lyrics, Go Light Your World)

You are the light

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You are the light of the world. Matthew 5:14

The message of the GLOW (Go Light Our World) ministry is to shine the light of Jesus into the world. We currently support gospel ministries to the unreached poorest of poor in Bolivia, Bulgaria, Greece, Scotland, and the United States.

When Jesus says “You are the light of the world” He intends for that light to shine wherever you go. He isn’t saying, “Look at how talented and smart you are; how much better you are than everyone else.” No, He is illustrating what happens when the power of an infinite and extraordinary God resides in the heart of an ordinary person who follows His Son. His message is, “When I live in you and when you remain in me, my light shines so brightly, the rest of the world will see and come to praise the Father.” (See Matthew 5:16)

He knows it’s tempting for us to keep the truth and joy of His love all to ourselves. When ministry becomes messy and often frustrating, sometimes we want to crawl under our basket and just bask in the light of God’s peace warming us. We think of the image of resting in His arms and long to remain in that quiet place. Pain and sorrow have ways of ravaging the body and the mind and wreak havoc and violence on our soul. In those times all you long for is peace and quiet, a release from what seems to be an ever-increasing grip on your life. God’s light is meant for such times. His Spirit speaks peace, truth, and hope to us in such desperately needed ways.

But His light isn’t meant to remain solely within us for our comfort only. It is meant to encourage others, meaning other believers as well as bringing the hope of the gospel to the rest of the world. Imagine if our message were health and fitness but we didn’t take care of your own bodies. Who would want to listen to us? In the same way we are called to take care of the body of Christ too, that is other believers. His amazing light is meant to pour over the darkness of our world and flow onto all those around us. The role of light is to disperse darkness.

What would it look like if your light shined into someone else’s darkness today? Maybe you’ll search your address book and write an encouraging note of hope to someone you’ve lost contact with. Tell someone else how much you appreciate who they are, not just what they do. Don’t be afraid to mention how good God is when others are around. Tell someone the reason for your faith. Show His mercy to someone who has no other reason to hope.

Be the light. Go light our world today.

Thy Word is a Light – for today

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Thy word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path. Psalm 119:105

I remember hiking with Marcia in the Franklin Mountains outside of El Paso. Even with the light of the sun we sometimes lost track of the trail ahead of us. What was a well-worn path turned into what appeared to be dozens of paths. Which one should we take? They all headed in the same general direction, but we couldn’t easily determine which was the safest and most trustworthy.

Life is sometimes like that. Maybe you are in a place where several alternative paths appear before you and all looking like they will take you where you want to go. Or perhaps you are in a place where you are paralyzed by not seeing the path before you. You long for a ‘crystal ball’ that will reveal your future.

The psalmist reminds us that God’s Word is a lamp unto our feet and a light unto our path. It is our guide for living well and keeping from peril. Sometimes we don’t realize how much we need guidance until we’ve gone too far down a dark path we shouldn’t have traveled. There are times when the road ahead is foggy. Our vision is clouded by our present circumstances or emotional being. God’s Word is designed for exactly such a purpose.

This isn’t just the path to finding Jesus once, but to finding Him every single day as we encounter others around us. It shows us the right way to live today. In darkness, we are tempted to say something untrue or unkind, a word to put someone down, or something sarcastic to illuminate our wit. In light we choose words to build each other up, because that is the path we are meant to walk. In darkness, we tuck away our savings to buy the things that bring us temporary pleasure. In light we see others in need and the joy of bringing the encouraging light of Jesus to their world.

The bible says the world lives in darkness and loves the darkness. Jesus said, “YOU are the light of the world.” But the lamp that reveals God’s will is not our own. It is fueled by the anointing oil of the Holy Spirit. It isn’t simply some random act of kindness of do-goodies. The true light in you intentionally shines in the darkness to guide you and to show God’s goodness to others.

Today we get to choose which path to follow, the one advancing our own personal agenda or the one that leads us – and others – closer to God. Where will His light – in you – shine today?

BEING the light of the world

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“You are the light of the world.” – Jesus, to His followers (Matthew 5:14)

We may be tempted to think being a light bearer, the light of the world, is all about doing all sorts of grand things. Or, like the random act of kindness movement, doing all sorts of small things to randomly brighten a person’s day. It’s not a bad thing to do. But there is a way to shine even brighter.

Light is not only revealed by what it does.

What it does IS what it is.

That is the message of James to us. It shines because that is its nature. It doesn’t hide under a bushel and then once in a while jump out to shine. Being the light of the world is to let your everyday character reflect your God-given hope with others. It illuminates darkness by shining truth, love, grace, and peace.

James tells us in the fourth chapter that this kind of light submits to God (period). After all, He IS light. Just as two candles, when drawn together become brighter, so our light is brighter when we draw close to God. Our light doesn’t quarrel with others, especially over petty things. It doesn’t consider itself friends with the world’s ways. Unlike my old flashlight whose lens is scratched and obscures the light, our light seeks to be pure. That is, we must submit our thoughts, motives, actions, and even our life ambitions before God and ask Him to make us pure. How otherwise can our light shine clearly when it is dulled by our worldly ways? We are either friends with the world’s ways or friends with God. We can’t have it both ways.

Acclaimed researcher George Barna repeatedly finds that the thoughts and ways of many Christians in the United States are not very much different from those of unbelievers. If that is the case with you and me, how can our darkness bring light to others?!

James warns us that our life plans are futile, “like mist that vanishes”, if they are not submitted to God. He also reminds us that it is not just the way we live selfish, self-absorbed lives, but the fact that we ignore the needs of others – our sins of omission – that drag us down. Perhaps we just don’t care enough about others who walk this path with us. God will give you the desire if you ask Him to give you eyes that see as He does.

BEING the light of the world reveals the nature of God’s love. THIS is the light that shines into the darkness of a twisted world that is filled with darkness. BE the light of the world today by becoming who you were meant to be!

“Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. ” James 4:7-8

Peace beyond understanding

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I am guessing that you receive more information than you can process each day. Me too. If you read an inspirational and motivational book, you will no doubt unveil more truths than you can practically apply at once to your life. I like the way Francis Chan deals with this in his book, Crazy Love. He said (I paraphrase), “Maybe what you need to do is put this book down right now. Instead of reading more, meditate on this one truth and go live it – put it in action.”

That is the intent of this blog too. We attempt to share practical truths and points of understanding that are intended to help each of us hone our capacity to be the light of the world that Jesus commanded us to be. But then the next day comes with a new blog post. Maybe rather than reading all the daily posts, you might try to latch onto one truth that speaks to your heart and contemplate that for a number of days; try it on and see how it fits in your life. (Remember, it takes 3-4 weeks to establish a new habit.) Set aside time to meditate or contemplate how this speaks peace and wisdom to your life. Pray and give thanks. And then watch how the anxieties of life grow dimmer and the peace that surpasses all understanding gradually grows in your heart.

Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:6-7

Go Light Our World – the blog

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God has given each of us light to bring truth and hope to others around us. Jesus said, “You are the light of the world.” Our job is to make sure our light stays lit, encourage others, and to let our light shine in the darkness of others’ lives.

The primary components of the Go Light Our World Ministry are:

The daily blog – bringing truth and hope to others around the globe
Daily outreach – touching the lives of those nearest us
Funding worldwide ministries – spurring on ministries to reach society’s most marginalized people with the light of Jesus

This blog is one component of the ministry. The intent is to encourage others to draw closer to God and discover His best for them. You can click on a link to visit the original blog which started with our 2011 mission to Cochabamba, Bolivia, one of the ministries sponsored by GLOW. We will add other ministry pages in the coming weeks. There is also a link to previous months posts where you can browse a topic of interest to you. Additionally, you can share your comments and reflections with the Go Light Our World community of friends by clicking on ‘reply’ above or below this post. Finally, you can click on the link in the upper right to have the posts automatically sent to your email inbox. (Your email address, while required will not be displayed.) Over 150 people around the world have Go Light Our World blog posts sent directly to their email inboxes. People from about thirty nations stop by the site each month.

If you’ve enjoyed this blog, we hope you will share it with others: www.GoLightOurWorld.org. This website should be ready in the next week. Until then, the link to www.GoLightYourWorld.org is still functional.

By sharing this with others you may bring light to encourage your friends and family and also help build the Go Light Our World community. Our hope is that the blog posts will inspire folks to draw close to Jesus and BE His light into the world.

“When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” John 8:12

Go Light Our World!

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Go Light Your World has changed its name to Go Light OUR World (GLOW), emphasizing our community responsibility to bringing light into the darkness. The website change will happen later this week. Www.golightyourworld.org will automatically be redirected to www.GoLightOurWorld.org. The ministry’s home page will come up first and then viewers can click on the Blog page or other ministry pages. We believe the list of ‘followers’ who get daily posts sent directly to their email inbox will remain unaffected. There is a possibility that the website domain change could cause the site to be down for a short period of time.

Did you know… Go Light Our World is a tax-exempt 501c3 nonprofit ministry incorporated to carry the gospel throughout the world with specific mission of helping families discover and pursue God’s best for them. GLOW is governed by a board of directors including incorporators, Bryan and Marcia Thayer. Tax exempt donations to GLOW go directly to ministry fields in Bolivia, Bulgaria, and other places around the globe. GLOW supports vital ministries that promote self-sufficiency and literacy while introducing children and families to the REAL light of the world, Jesus.

Go Light Our World had its beginning during one of our missions to post-Katrina New Orleans. Beyond our teams’ efforts to rebuild houses, these missions were all focused on rebuilding lives by bringing light to shine into the darkness of their world.

Chris Rice wrote a song titled Go Light Your World, which captures the heart of our ministry. In it he writes:
“There is a candle in every soul
Some brightly burning, some dark and cold
There is a Spirit who brings a fire
Ignites a candle and makes His home.
So carry your candle, run to the darkness
Seek out the helpless, confused and torn
Hold out your candle for all to see it
Take your candle, and go light your world
Take your candle, and go light your world.”

We each were created for a purpose. We weren’t created to sit on the sidelines, but to intentionally and passionately live out our purpose by making a difference in the lives of others.

We believe that God gives each of us a light that can bring real and lasting hope to the lives of others and that working together as a community of believers, our light shines brighter.

We will be sharing more in future posts about how you can partner with us to Go Light Our World!

“You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.”
Matthew 5:14-16

Who is in your path?

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I hope we all want to hear God’s voice. And He wants us to hear it too! He speaks through prayer, through His Word, and through circumstances. God also speaks to us through others. We have to be discerning if it is an eternal truth we seek because there are a lot of people in our path, representing a lot of contrary views, not all of which agree with what God has to say. Nonetheless, God will put people in our path for our benefit, sometimes to learn an eternal truth. Sometimes it is to learn a specialized skill, which could benefit us regardless of who is the teacher. I have made it a point in life to learn from people I disagree with! I genuinely feel sorry for people who can learn only from people who hold similar views.

God doesn’t always put people in our path just to teach us something. Sometimes He puts precious people there to share our load, to encourage us, to point the way, to show us a more helpful way of thinking, or to comfort us. (He also puts US in their path for the same reason!) When Jesus said, “You are the light of the world,” His message was one of letting our light shine so that His truth, love, and grace would be revealed.

We all need three people in our lives: a more mature “Paul” who can mentor us, a “Timothy” we can pour into, and a strong “Barnabas” who shares a walk similar to ours. Who is in your path in this season of your life?

Dying Wish

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Korean War veteren Gearald Bowman was recently granted his dying wish to walk on the decks of the USS Laffey where he served for four years. Can you imagine what it was like to stand by his old bunk or to revisit the engine room where he worked on the ship some 60 years ago? He describes the service time as a life changing event.

What times or places have left an indelible mark on your soul? Marcia and I look back on the two years we lived in Australia when first married, or the years with Post Katrina mission work, or the one month mission in Bolivia. Each of these (and others) were times when God spoke deeply into our lives, close and lasting friendships were formed in extraordinarily short periods of time, and when our life vision was expanded far beyond ourselves.

In one sense, you can’t really ‘go back’ because it is a different place and you are now a different person. But do you sometimes feel a great desire to pay homage to a place, time, or person that influenced you greatly? Each wedding anniversary, Marcia and I reflect upon things, places and people that have influenced us over the years. And, especially with regard to people, we have increased our effort to speak appreciation to people who have influenced our lives. Some of them were quite surprised, not recalling any special contribution they made. But sometimes it’s not what others do or say, but what we observe in their lives.

You might not be actually able to make the trip to revisit a place that changed your life, but you hopefully you can speak appreciation to those who have spoken deeply into your lives. I hope the busyness of life doesn’t cause you to miss the opportunity.

What opportunities are there today or this week to simply live well in the face of adversity or more directly influence others? You never know. Your attitude and approach to life today, or some seemingly small gesture, may be a life changing event for someone else. . . or you.

BE the light. RUN to the darkness and let your light shine.