Ambassadors of Light

My friends, what good is it to say you have faith, when you don't do anything to show that you really do have faith? Can that kind of faith save you?

– James 2:14

It’s in dark, troubling times like these that we most need to remember Jesus’ admonition to some of his earliest followers — those who daily faced much more than unkind words, unflattering social media posts or slanderous motion pictures:

“Make your light shine, so that others will see the good that you do and will praise your Father in heaven.”

What does Jesus mean by light? Maybe one way to think of it is that “spark” or inner power that God grants each Believer for demonstrating his goodness through their words and deeds. It might be helping an elderly neighbor by running a much-needed errand or volunteering to manage a co-worker’s project when they’re struggling to finish an earlier assignment. Or it might even involve cleaning up a community park or visiting residents at a local assisted living center. The possibilities are endless.

Ultimately, our mission as Christ-followers is to be Jesus’ ambassadors to our neighbors both near and far while we wait for his return — or that day when he calls us back home (whichever comes first). And until then, we’re to help prepare God’s kingdom by using the various gifts and talents he’s given us to make the world a better place. It’s in Matthew’s gospel that we find our Savior’s example:

“In the same way, the Son of Man did not come to be served. He came to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many people."

Since we’re ambassadors of light, it’s not about us. Instead, it’s about him and his creation. So as Christ-followers, let’s turn our faith into action by accepting Jesus’ invitation to help brighten a dark, dying world that’s so much in need of his guidance, truth, and love.