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(John 8:12) Jesus addressed the crowd. He said, “I am the Light of the world. He who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life.”

John Pipes writes that “I am the light of the world” is rooted in Jesus’ relationship with His Father. “Jesus speaks from God and for God and as God.” Apart from Jesus, we live in darkness. We have limited capacity to understand who we are or what we see in the world."

Now, let’s turn this around. In Matthew (5:14), Jesus tells (all of) us, “You are the light of [Christ to] the world.

Hold that thought. If we fast forward to Acts 2:3/4, we read: “When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place, and suddenly a sound came from heaven like a rushing violent wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. There appeared to them tongues resembling fire, which were being distributed [among them], and they rested on each one of them [as each person received the Holy Spirit]. And they were all filled [that is, diffused throughout their being] with the Holy Spirit …”

I’ve been proofreading a fantastic book about the Tabernacle, which my friend Brad Cotton is currently writing, and I remembered that the only light permitted within the Tabernacle was the Menorah (a seven-branched lampstand).

The picture I now get from reading Acts suggests that we all (the body of Christ) are walking lampstands sent to light up a dark world.

NB—We must have the oil (the Holy Spirit) within ourselves! Without oil, there is no fire; therefore, there is only darkness!

Holy Spirit, please touch the heart of whoever is reading this. Draw them into Your presence and show them that You continue to speak and answer prayers today. Amen. 

Heavenly Father, giver of life and health: Comfort and relieve those who are sick amongst us—such as Barbara and Ian fighting cancer. We also pray for a quick and complete healing for Keiron, Jay and Liliana. Please grant your healing power to those who minister to all the sick among us so they may be strengthened in their weakness and have confidence in your loving care. We pray this through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.