Walking in His Light
27/06/10 15:47
As a lover of history, I love the story about Benjamin Franklin, who decided that lighting the streets of Philadelphia at night would add both beauty and increase safety to his city. Instead of embarking on a campaign of speeches and writing to persuade the other citizens, Franklin himself bought a large and beautiful lantern and mounted it on a long bracket in front of his home. He kept the glass clean and sparkling, and each evening at dusk he faithfully lit the lantern.
“Blessed are those who have learned to acclaim you, who walk in the light of your presence, O LORD.” Psalm 89:15 (NIV)
As a lover of history, I love the story about Benjamin Franklin, who decided that lighting the streets of Philadelphia at night would add both beauty and increase safety to his city. Instead of embarking on a campaign of speeches and writing to persuade the other citizens, Franklin himself bought a large and beautiful lantern and mounted it on a long bracket in front of his home. He kept the glass clean and sparkling, and each evening at dusk he faithfully lit the lantern.
Soon his neighbors began to take notice, and they began maintaining their own lanterns at their home. Quickly, the trend spread throughout the city, and it eventually became a city-wide, city-sponsored program. As the story is told, Benjamin Franklin influenced the entire city of Philadelphia without a word. He simply began to enact change and spread light to all those around him.
As a Christian, I sometimes look around my world and feel horror at the darkness around me. One hour of the evening news is enough to leave the bravest heart running for cover. The truth is that we live in a hard world where bad things happen and it is often a frightening and confusing place.
However, there is a truth that we must not overlook. God is sovereign. Those three words bring hope and comfort to my soul. God is sovereign, and He calls His people to bring His light into the world.
I John 1:5 says, “...God is light; in him there is no darkness at all.” If we are walking with Him, He fills our lives with light that shines on those around us. By our words and actions, we are called to bring Light into a very dark world. Let’s resolve to be Light-bearers to those in our world and pray that His Light will continue to spread all over our world - through us!
As a lover of history, I love the story about Benjamin Franklin, who decided that lighting the streets of Philadelphia at night would add both beauty and increase safety to his city. Instead of embarking on a campaign of speeches and writing to persuade the other citizens, Franklin himself bought a large and beautiful lantern and mounted it on a long bracket in front of his home. He kept the glass clean and sparkling, and each evening at dusk he faithfully lit the lantern.
Soon his neighbors began to take notice, and they began maintaining their own lanterns at their home. Quickly, the trend spread throughout the city, and it eventually became a city-wide, city-sponsored program. As the story is told, Benjamin Franklin influenced the entire city of Philadelphia without a word. He simply began to enact change and spread light to all those around him.
As a Christian, I sometimes look around my world and feel horror at the darkness around me. One hour of the evening news is enough to leave the bravest heart running for cover. The truth is that we live in a hard world where bad things happen and it is often a frightening and confusing place.
However, there is a truth that we must not overlook. God is sovereign. Those three words bring hope and comfort to my soul. God is sovereign, and He calls His people to bring His light into the world.
I John 1:5 says, “...God is light; in him there is no darkness at all.” If we are walking with Him, He fills our lives with light that shines on those around us. By our words and actions, we are called to bring Light into a very dark world. Let’s resolve to be Light-bearers to those in our world and pray that His Light will continue to spread all over our world - through us!
