The Light Within You
On this day after Easter, I pray you haven't already lost the wonder of Resurrection Sunday. After days of prayer and preparation, it's easy to fall back into the everyday routine, taking for granted all Christ did for us during the Passion Week.
I think about the parable of the lighted candle at moments like this.
No man, when he hath lighted a candle, putteth it in a secret place, neither under a bushel, but on a candlestick, that they which come in may see the light. The light of the body is the eye: therefore when thine eye is single, thy whole body also is full of light; but when thine eye is evil, thy body also is full of darkness. Take heed therefore that the light which is in thee be not darkness. If thy whole body therefore be full of light, having no part dark, the whole shall be full of light, as when the bright shining of a candle doth give thee light. Luke 11:33-36
Our candle - the light of the risen Savior living inside us - shines brightly on Easter morning. We're emotionally charged as we sing the hymns and hear the story of the empty tomb, all of which are familiar and comforting at this special time of year.
But the familiar and comforting can easily become usual and mechanically when Monday comes along. Our lighted candle gets taken down from its prominent place one day to be put under a bushel the next as we return to the every-day world.
As Jesus spoke these words to a people gathered thick together (read verse 29), I can imagine Him looking ahead to today. He was giving them a common analogy, a picture they would quickly understand, by speaking of the candle. A whole body full of light, when described on its own, wouldn't have made sense, but placing a lighted candle in some secret place would. It would have been so silly that they would make the connect quite easily.
And so it should to us as well, His special, chosen people. If our whole body is full of light, the light of Christ Himself, we can shine brightly for all to see. But they won't be seeing us - they'll be seeing Christ through us and in us and all around us.
This is the only way to keep the promises of Easter close to our heart all year long. When we begin to drift into darkness, taking Christ's light and truth for granted, we are putting our light away in a secret place. That doesn't do us or anyone else, believer or nonbeliever, any good. Only when we sincerely desire to know His Word and keep it shining brightly in our day-to-day lives can we honestly say that we're Easter people. And isn't that what makes us shine, and live, and rejoice?
Let the glory and wonder of Christ's resurrection light your candle today and every day.
I think about the parable of the lighted candle at moments like this.
No man, when he hath lighted a candle, putteth it in a secret place, neither under a bushel, but on a candlestick, that they which come in may see the light. The light of the body is the eye: therefore when thine eye is single, thy whole body also is full of light; but when thine eye is evil, thy body also is full of darkness. Take heed therefore that the light which is in thee be not darkness. If thy whole body therefore be full of light, having no part dark, the whole shall be full of light, as when the bright shining of a candle doth give thee light. Luke 11:33-36
Our candle - the light of the risen Savior living inside us - shines brightly on Easter morning. We're emotionally charged as we sing the hymns and hear the story of the empty tomb, all of which are familiar and comforting at this special time of year.
But the familiar and comforting can easily become usual and mechanically when Monday comes along. Our lighted candle gets taken down from its prominent place one day to be put under a bushel the next as we return to the every-day world.
As Jesus spoke these words to a people gathered thick together (read verse 29), I can imagine Him looking ahead to today. He was giving them a common analogy, a picture they would quickly understand, by speaking of the candle. A whole body full of light, when described on its own, wouldn't have made sense, but placing a lighted candle in some secret place would. It would have been so silly that they would make the connect quite easily.
And so it should to us as well, His special, chosen people. If our whole body is full of light, the light of Christ Himself, we can shine brightly for all to see. But they won't be seeing us - they'll be seeing Christ through us and in us and all around us.
This is the only way to keep the promises of Easter close to our heart all year long. When we begin to drift into darkness, taking Christ's light and truth for granted, we are putting our light away in a secret place. That doesn't do us or anyone else, believer or nonbeliever, any good. Only when we sincerely desire to know His Word and keep it shining brightly in our day-to-day lives can we honestly say that we're Easter people. And isn't that what makes us shine, and live, and rejoice?
Let the glory and wonder of Christ's resurrection light your candle today and every day.
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