Light up the world

Ephesians 4:31-32 (ESV)

31 Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. 32 Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.

If you have ever seen the northern lights, then you know God can put on a light show like no other! The northern lights—or aurora borealis—are brightly colored lights that shimmer and dance across the sky in the areas around the North Pole. They are caused by fast-moving particles from the Sun (called solar wind) hitting the electromagnetic field that surrounds and protects the Earth from the Sun’s most harmful rays. When those particles hit gas atoms in our atmosphere, those gases glow, creating a spectacular light show. The lights are so vivid they can even be seen from space. The colors of the northern lights are created when the solar winds bump into different gases in the atmosphere. Yellow, red, and green come from bumping into oxygen. Violet and blue are created by the solar winds bumping into nitrogen.

Such an amazing show could only be created by an amazing God. And that light show’s chief purpose is to tell us how great and glorious our God is.

But the sky isn’t the only thing God uses to tell about His greatness and glory. God shines the light of His love into our lives and makes us glow with love for Him and for others. He fills us with His light for a great purpose—to shine into the world and show other people the way to follow Him.

How do we shine God’s light? God says it this way: “Do not be bitter or angry or mad. Never shout angrily or say things to hurt others. Never do anything evil. Be kind and loving to each other. Forgive each other just as God forgave you in Christ”. When you live this way, you’ll certainly light up the world!

Dear Lord, light up our life with the light of Your love. Help us shine Your light into the world around us. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.