Are You the Lamp or the Light?

Are You the Lamp with the Light?

““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

What’s the difference between the light and the lamp?

The lamp is the vessel which gives off the light and the light is what is seen by others.  You can’t have a light without the vessel but you can have a vessel and no light. 

In our house, the light bulb constantly gets replaced because the light has burned out. The fixture stays the same. When the light burns out, we don’t throw the lamp away. 

Our light in Matthew 5 refers to our likeness to Jesus Christ as others see it in us. 

There are times in our life when our light is bright and then there are those times when our light is dim or going out. And then there are those times when the light is flickering.

When I walk through the house at night or when I read and turn on my light - I want it to be bright. I want to see. I want it to light my way and make things visible as I read. 

The light has a purpose - to light things up. 

The vessel, or the lamp or fixture also has a purpose, one single purpose - to hold the light. It is responsible for lighting the light. 

We have one purpose - to let others see our light. The light of Jesus Christ in us. 

No two vessels are the same - even though the functions are the same - we aren’t the same. The one thing that remains the same for followers of Jesus Christ - is that our light should shine brightly.  Our light may not be as bright as someone else’s, but it should serve the same purpose.  Our light should glorify God. 

This is a purpose we should run after each day. It should be consistent and dependable. Our light should guide others to Christ, encourage their pursuit and light the way for others to see our God in us. 

Are you a lamp with no light? 

Let your light shine brightly.