Light of the World, what does it mean?

"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 a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven." Matthew 5:14-16

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What do these verses mean?

Here, Jesus is teaching us. He is telling us to be different from the rest of the world. He says:

"You are the light of the world."

What does that mean? Well, in John 3:19 it says:

"And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil." Light in the Bible usually means good or those belonging to Jesus or Jesus himself. There are cases though, when Light really means literallight. Take Genesis chapter one for instance. It tells how God created light. But in these verses in Matthew, Jesus is talking about those that belong to Jesus, Christians, people who are saved.

He says that we are the light of the world.

Next He says: "A city set on a hill cannot be hidden." We don't really have cities on hills anymore, at least here in America. They are too big. But in the time of Jesus, cities were built on top of hills for defensive reasons. If something as big as a city is sitting up there on a hill, can you see it? Of course you can! It is obvious, it stands out!

To go with his last sentence, he says next: "Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house." Have you ever seen someone, who needs light at night, put it under something so it cannot shine? No way! If you need light you will put it somewhere where it will shine it's light all over the room, so that you can see.

Finally, He says: "In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven." In the same way that we put a light on a stand, and not under a basket, we let our lights shine before the world, so that they can see! As it says, "so they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven."

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What are your thoughts on these verses?

How do they apply to you?

Have you thought much on how you can be a light to those around you?

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Lastly, here is a challenge for you:

Read this verse over and over again. Study it. Pray about it. Think about how you can be a light. Then, post about these verses on your blog! And be sure to leave me a comment so I can see it! :D lol.

Buttercup

NOTE: I first posted this on the forum on the Mission Minded Teens website. Be sure to join our forum!

www.missionmindedteens.webs.com