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| John Henry Jowett 1864-1923 |
The farmer walked Jowett to the gate, and giving him a glowing lantern,
pointed out a distant light shining from a tower. “That light” said the farmer
“is Saddleworth Station; make for that. The lantern will keep you from
falling into the ditch; but keep your eye on the glimmer in the distance.”
How often
in our daily walk of faith do we put all our effort into making sure that we
miss tumbling into the ditch, which while important, is not all that we should
be doing. The distant glimmer of the light is actually our goal. That light is none
other than The Light of the World, our Lord.
Then Jesus spoke again to them, saying, “I am
the Light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but shall
have the light of life.” John 8:12
Jesus once again addressed them: “I am the world’s Light. No one who
follows me stumbles around in the darkness. I provide plenty of light to live
in.”
John 8:12 The Message Paraphrase
I once tried an experiment… I
walked across a large park, near to where we live. I took only one bearing, a tall
power pylon at the edge of the far side of the park, and then I set off,
walking in a straight line, all the time looking only at my feet. When I
reached the other side of the park I was more than 100 meters (yards) off
course. Oh, for sure I had missed any pitfalls… but if I had kept going I would
have walked in a very large circle! Just
as Jesus is the “light in the distance” for any believer, we are called to be
the same for those non-believers around us.
You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be
hidden. Nor do men light a lamp and put it under the grain-measure, 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 who
is in Heaven. Matthew 5:14-16 MKJV
The Amplified Bible clarifies the
purpose of us “being the light”… “Let your light so shine
before men that they may see your moral excellence and your praiseworthy,
noble, and good deeds and recognize and honor and praise and glorify your
Father who is in heaven. Matthew 5:16
Some years ago I spent 5 days
and 4 nights sailing along the coast of New Zealand’s
South Island crewing a friend’s yacht. While
the experience is one that I will always remember, the memory that springs to
mind the easiest is not the time spent sailing in the company of 200 or more dolphins, nor the presence of several whales for hours at a time as amazing as those things were; no, my abiding memory is this...
During the solitary night hours when I was on watch,
or sailing while the rest of the crew slept, the most encouraging thing for me
was not brilliance of the night sky, or my “alone” times with God; it was
seeing the occasional lighthouse beam or the odd car headlight sweeping around the distant coastal road pierce the total darkness. The boost to
my flagging spirit in the lonely hours of the mid-night to dawn watch was massive, and I began to anticipate the sweep of the lighthouse beam.
To those
around you who do not know our Lord, you may well be the only light that they
will ever see in this deeply trouble world in which we live.
Live each day as
if you are the lighthouse that will save them from destruction, and one day in eternity they will thank you for that!
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| Mont St. Michel |
You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be
hidden. Nor do men light a lamp and put it under the grain-measure, 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 who
is in Heaven. Matthew 5:14-16 MKJV
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