You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden; nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Your light must shine before people in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven. Matthew 5:14-16
Many mariners died, and ships wrecked on the shoals of Destruction Island (Washington State) in the early 1800s. Salvation came in 1891 when a lighthouse with a Fresnel lens projected its light 24 miles out to sea. A Fresnel lens consists of over a thousand glass prisms assembled in such a way that it reflects and magnifies the light source.
When the crates of prisms arrived from France, it looked like a bunch of shattered glass. It took a whole year to assemble the lens in the lighthouse building. Then it was used to save countless lives.
Maybe you feel like your life is shattered in a thousand pieces too. Maybe you think you are too broken for God to ever use you. Not true!
God’s light is reflected and magnified especially through the broken pieces of our lives. His power is made perfect in our weakness (2 Cor. 12:9). How many lives will be saved after His light is magnified in our lives?
Once the lighthouse was lit, the keeper had two critical jobs. The first was to continually add oil to fuel the flame. The second was to polish the soot off the glass so it is always sparkling clean.
You and I are like those lighthouse keepers. God’s flame was lit on the inside of us when we first believed (Acts 2). Subsequently, we have two critical jobs to keep that light burning brightly.
First, we need to continually fuel the flame with oil. Oil is a metaphor for the Holy Spirit (Lev. 2:1-2). Intimacy with the Holy Spirit is the oil that fuels our light (Matt. 25). We must continually engage with the Holy Spirit to keep our flame burning brightly.
Second, we need to polish the soot off our shattered lives. When we purify our lives, then God’s light can be reflected and magnified. Fortunately, God makes it easy to confess and repent of our sins (1John 1:9). Thank You, Jesus! God is also quick to heal us as we forgive the sins of others. Thank You, Lord!
This revelation has given me new words for my morning prayer time. “Holy Spirit, where do I need to polish the soot off my heart? Anoint me afresh with Your precious oil. I want to reflect and magnify God’s light so He can pierce the darkness and save. Amen!”