Revelation 21:23
“And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it: for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof.”
When driving your car in a snow storm, one of the things you will notice is that your headlights will seem to get dimmer the longer you drive. Many times I have had to pull over at a gas station to clean the headlights so that I can better see the road as I drive. The grime from the road sticks to the headlights and causes them not to be as bright as they should.
Matthew 5:14 says, “Ye are the light of the world.” God commands the Christian to be the one who shines a light in this dark world. How is it that a Christian can be the light of the world? We are sinners at best. If we shine our light, then the light we shine will be very dim for sin will certainly cover the light.
We see the answer to shining our light in the verse above. As John describes Heaven, he says that the city had no need of light for the glory of God is what lightens this great city. It is interesting that Heaven has no need of light because God is the light. If a Christian is going to be the light of the world, then the Christian’s light must come from God. In other words, if we are going to be the light of the world, then we must reflect Christ through our life. It is not our light that shines to the world, but a reflection of Christ is the light that we shine. The problem with being a reflection of Christ is that many things can hinder the reflection’s image.
First, a reflection can be hindered if dirt is on the object that is to reflect the image. Sin is the dirt that will cause the light of Christ not to shine brightly through your life. Just like driving down a snowy road you get the grime from the road on your headlights, likewise the Christian often gets the grime of the world on their life as they walk through life. It is important that you make sure your life does not have the grime of the world on it. Every time you allow the grime of the world on your life, you hinder your life from reflecting the light of Christ.
Second, a reflection is hindered when an object obstructs its path. Many times in the Christian life we allow our agendas to obstruct the light of Christ. I’m afraid too often the world sees the reflection of our agendas and dreams and not the light of Christ. When our focus is on what we want, then the world does not see what God wants.
Third, a reflection is hindered because the object that reflects it is not pointed directly at the light. If you turn your life to follow man, then you cannot reflect Christ as you should. Many Christians turn their life to follow a man and they cannot reflect the light of Christ. Instead of reflecting Christ, they are reflecting the image of a man. It doesn’t matter how good the man may be, you are not to reflect man, but you are to reflect Christ.
Does the world see a good image of Christ through your life? Don’t let the sin in your life cause the reflection of Christ to be dimmed. Remove the sin so the world has a clear reflection of Christ. Make sure there are no hindrances that would block the reflection of Christ. Don’t let the world see the wrong reflection. Make sure your life is that clear reflection of Christ so that they can’t help but see the great God Whom you serve.