“for you were formerly darkness, but now you are Light in the Lord; walk as children of Light.” Ephesians 5:8
As a follower of Jesus, your life ought to have a before and after. The way you thought and acted before salvation is not the way you think and act now. Knowing Jesus makes such a difference that it can be seen by others. At least, it should. Being distinct from the world doesn’t just happen. We must choose to walk in the Light of Jesus Christ. So, what hinders us from living that way?
We tend to be surprised when we’re misunderstood, mocked, or rejected. If Jesus experienced all these things, why do we expect to be treated differently? He came as the Light of the world (John 8:12), and His followers are light in the world today (Matthew 5:14). The world didn’t understand Jesus then, and it won’t understand us now (John 1:5).
As a result, we often try to blend in. We might not live exactly the way we did before getting saved; just not noticeably different. That ultimately adds to the confusion of the world because we aren’t living out the nature of Christ described in the Bible.
Blending in is the opposite of letting your light shine. It’s what Matthew 5:15 describes as putting your light under a basket, which defeats our purpose. “Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven” (Matthew 5:16).
How do we walk as children of Light? First, we learn what pleases the Lord by being in His Word daily. As we put those things into practice, we grow the fruit of the Light—goodness, righteousness, and truth. And rather than participating in the darkness of the world, we expose how worthless those things are (Ephesians 5:9-11). That doesn’t mean trying to argue people to Jesus on social media. Light doesn’t shout, it shines.
Can people tell the difference in your life before and after Jesus? Does your life exemplify personal integrity, moral courage, and godly character? The darker the world gets, the brighter you need to shine. But you’ll never win people for Jesus while looking like the world. Remember, light can be rejected by darkness, but it cannot be defeated by it. So, walk as a child of the Light today!
