” Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot * be hid . Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house.“Matt. 5:14-15
James Dobson told a story about a friend who was flying his single-engine plane toward a small rural airport. When he arrived at the close of the day, the sun had already dropped behind the mountain. By the time he had maneuvered into position to land, he couldn’t see the shadowy field below. There was no one on duty at the airport, and there were no lights on the plane.
The pilot circled the runway for another attempted landing, but the darkness had become even more impenetrable. For two hours he flew around in the inky blackness, knowing full well that he faced certain death when his fuel tank emptied.
Then, as panic began to seize him, a wonderful thing happened. Someone who lived near the airport had heard the continuous drone of a small plane engine and realized there was a problem. That kind, merciful man raced to the airport and drove his car back and forth on the runway to indicate the direction of the airstrip. He then drove to the far end of the runway, positioned his lights, and turned them on high beam, to shine down the stretch of tarmac.
The pilot landed safely.
Being caught ill-equipped in darkness can be disastrous. Darkness can be dreadful, dangerous, and deadly. Thankfully God has given us light in the person of Christ (2 Cor. 4:6), so, we need not walk in the darkness. As Stephen Davey said, “This Light that He gave us is Himself….Jesus tells His disciples that He is the Light of the World (John 8:12). In the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5, Jesus Christ tells His disciples that they are the light of the world. This is to say that Christ puts His Light in us. This He does by giving us Himself.
Because God has given Himself to us, we in turn bear witness of God to others. What if the man who had illuminated the runway had decided to stay home?
The souls of the world hang in the balance, and without Jesus Christ, the Light of the World, they are destined to remain in the darkness—without God . . . without hope.
Grab your keys; start the engine; turn on the headlights—someone’s in trouble. Don’t make him circle the field again! Light up the runway . . . bring him in for a safe landing!
Pray that God will give you opportunity to share Christ with others. Pray that you will have the courage to shine brightly.”
