From the very beginning, God said in Genesis 1:3-4 NIV, And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. God saw that the light was good, and He separated the light from the darkness. In the New Testament, in Matthew 5:14-16 NIV, God refers to us, saying, 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. I wanted to discuss these two verses together because it gives us a clear vision of God’s feelings about us and what He wants us to do.
God created light, and where the light shines, darkness cannot exist. Then, He tells us that we are to be the light of the world. We’re to be bold in our faith, proclaiming His truths. Have you ever seen a fellow Christian who seems to have this inner glow about them? God’s light simply pours out of them when they are in your presence. When you leave them, your spirits are lifted, and perhaps the heaviness you’ve been experiencing is no longer with you. You might not even know why, but you felt drawn to them from the beginning of your friendship.
There’s a simple explanation, really. You’re seeing and feeling the light of the Holy Spirit that dwells within them. You’re drawn to God’s living light, a place where darkness cannot live. God’s light encourages, spills goodness wherever it shines, and is filled with His wisdom and power. God’s light also protects us against the enemy of darkness, as He so generously covers us with that light. His light is so bright it blinds the enemy, making it impossible for him to see us in God’s light. When we walk in God’s light, we exude confidence and share our joy of the Lord. It’s no surprise that we are so drawn to God’s light in others.
There’s so much to those few simple words, “Let there be light.” They are life-changing, giving us vision and clarity. In 1 John 1:5-7 NIV, God’s message is as follows: “This is the message we have heard from Him and declare to you: God is light; in Him there is no darkness at all. If we claim to have fellowship with Him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth. But if we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, His Son, purifies us from all sin.
So, I say, LET THERE BE LIGHT!