Stewards Of The Light

STEWARDS OF THE LIGHT

This message is about being a good steward of the light. When we accepted Jesus Christ as our personal Lord and Savior, we were never the same. We became men and women with a mission. Within us, something had greatly changed. For one, we became a bearer of the light to the perishing, to this dark and dying world. Our lives became a silent sermon of God’s grace, mercy, love and blessings. As Christians, how are we in our personal ministry as stewards of the light that is Jesus Christ? Our main verse today is in Matthew 5:14-16: 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.

From darkness to light

Before we accepted Jesus Christ into our lives, we lived in the dark. Within us was darkness. As such, we did not know where we were going. We did not know what our purpose was. Reason why we went astray, committed too many mistakes and felt empty. We were lost in that darkness.

However, when Jesus Christ came into our lives we became the light of the world. We became a new creation. Ephesians 5:8-9 says, “For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light.” There is only one source of light – Jesus Christ. In John 8:12 Jesus says, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” Jesus is the light. He is the sun and we are the moon, so to speak. We only carry and reflect this light. In the Bible, light is used to symbolize God, faith or holiness.

This light now dwells within us. Our bodies have become the temples of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 6:19). As stewards, we have to guard this light because this is a treasure that has been entrusted to us (2 Timothy 1:14).

Powerful light

The light within us is a very powerful one. Nothing compares to it. It is Jesus Christ himself because he is the light. It is the same light that shone upon Paul on the road to Damascus (Acts 9:5). It is the glory of the Lord (Revelations 21:23). It is a living light because we serve a living God. This light is the Savior of the world.

It is important that we must be connected to the source of the light 24/7. Otherwise, we will die spiritually. We will live again in darkness. Apart from the source, we are nothing (John 15:4-5).

A story was told about a church member who stopped attending services regularly. One cold evening, the church pastor visited him in his house. Guessing the reason for the pastor’s visit, the member welcomed and led him to a comfortable chair near the fireplace. The pastor said nothing. He was just watching the flames dancing around the burning logs. After some minutes, the pastor took the fire tongs and picked a brightly burning ember and placed it to one side of the hearth all alone. The member watched all this in quiet contemplation. After a while, the ember’s flame diminished and eventually died. The pastor still said nothing. Thereafter, the pastor got the ember and placed it back to the fire. Immediately, it began to glow once more with the light and warmth of the fire around it. (http://www.gospelweb.net)

The same thing happens if we disconnect from the source of the light.

What to do with the light within us

We have already established that within us is a very powerful light that is Jesus Christ. Our duty as stewards of this light is to make it so shine! This is our lifetime ministry. Sometimes, we wonder what we can do for the Lord. Not all of us like to speak on the pulpit and share God’s word. Not all of us can do what our pastors can do. However, I believe that all of us can choose to make our lights so shine. By how we live, we can already minister to others and glorify God! Our lives are our everyday silent sermons.

There is no other purpose for the light except to shine to dispel darkness. Our Bible verse says, “Let your light so shine.” Take note of the word “let”. This means that it is our decision to make this light shine through our lives or not. How bright the light will shine is within our full control. We play a very important part because the light will be useless if not allowed to shine.