Point of Light

But God shows his great love for us in this way: Christ died for us
while we were still sinners.

-- Romans 5:8

It takes just a tiny point of reflected light from a telescope’s mirror to change our notions about the universe. But when there are barriers — such as the atmosphere in the case of astronomy — we can miss the big picture or be misled by a distorted image. 

This principle also applies to our spiritual lives. “I am the light of the world,” Jesus proclaimed in John 8:12. “Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life." 

As Christ-followers, our lives are to always reflect Jesus’ love in action. But we too face barriers and distortions. The world teaches us to beat the competition, climb the corporate ladder and keep up with our neighbors (and then leave them in our dust). We need the biggest, the fastest and the shiniest. And most of all, it’s not bragging if we can back it all up.

But Christ has a different viewpoint: To be first, we must be last.

This bold perspective sheds a new light on things. And that’s just the point. How much better would this world be if his people were to adopt a servant’s attitude and put the interests of others before their own?

Jesus answered this question through his own example. First, he willingly surrendered the advantages he had as God’s only Son. He entered the world through the most humble of circumstances — a birth among farm animals in a filthy stable. When he grew older, he learned to make a common-man’s living as a carpenter. Of course, Jesus could have lived in splendor as the King of Kings. But instead, he chose a nomadic existence for teaching the Good News of salvation to his people.

That’s quite a life lesson. And it was one taught by the One with a humble servant’s heart. He’s the same One who came to serve rather than be served. And he’s the only One whose sacrifice for our sakes is counted worthy.

How can we mirror Christ’s life through our own lives? It all starts by accepting him as our personal Lord and Savior. And as Jesus told the respected religious leader one night many centuries ago, we must be born again.

The fact is that we are nothing without Jesus and can do even less by ourselves. But when we fully surrender our lives to God, it’s through this brilliant point of light that we find our life’s purpose.