The Lighthouse

 

 

Matthew 5:14 Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid.

 

My legs are still sore as I write this.  Two days ago I climbed 93 feet to the top of the Aquina Head Lighthouse in Newport, OR.  We were able to see this lighthouse at night from our motel window.  Lighthouses warned ship's captains of danger on the seas and saved many from shipwreck.

 

Lighthouses are beginning to be a thing of the past as newer technology takes over.  Ships are using sonar and radar and other methods of detecting danger on the seas and the lighthouses are not needed much anymore.  It's kind of sad to see these landmarks of safety and security disappear from use.  There are groups who are working to at least keep them as beacons of our past for people to enjoy and I am glad for that.

 

As early as the 8th century B.C. bonfires were lit on top of hills to guide the seafaring away from danger.  Around 280 B.C. the Egyptians built the first great lighthouse, called the Pharos of Alexandria.  It stood 450 feet tall and was the tallest structure in the world at that time.  The Pharos stood for 1600 years and was presumed ruined in an earthquake.

 

While the Bible does not talk about lighthouses directly, it seems to allude to the idea.  The Psalmist says, "O send out thy light and thy truth: let them lead me; let them bring me unto thy holy hill, and to thy tabernacles." (Psalm 43:3)

 

As a college student, I spent time with a team of other students going to the Portland Lighthouse Mission to minister to the spiritual needs of the drunks and drug addicts who had made shipwreck of their lives on the streets of Portland.  I don't know how many lives were changed by our ministry there. Only God knows.  I hope some day when I get to heaven one of those drunks will come up to me and thank me for being a light to shine the way for him.  It will be only by the grace of God.

 

The Bible says we are the light of the world.  As lights in a dark world we need to shine brightly and clearly.  Many have allowed worldliness to creep in and cloud their light so they are not pointing the way to Jesus anymore.  Many who profess to be Christians look and act just like the world around them and there is no difference between them and the world.  What has happened to their lights?  Are they becoming a thing of the past like the lighthouses are today?  Are they being snuffed out in favor of "newer technology" (i.e. new "seeker friendly" methods and man-centered worship instead of God-centered worship)? 

 

How is your light today?  Is it standing tall for Jesus? Is it shining brightly?  "Ye are the light of the world." (Matthew 5:14)

 

Dear Father, I want my light to shine brightly for You.  Please help me to develop those fruits of the Spirit in my life that will make me a beacon of light to point others to You.  In Jesus' Name, Amen.