Author: RE Generation-Z

If you’ve been on the internet for long enough, you’ve probably heard the ‘inspirational’ phrase “Stars can’t shine without darkness” quite often. As cliche as it is, the quote is completely correct. 

Darkness is not a ‘quality’ that exists in itself, per se, but it is defined as the ‘partial or total absence of light.’ Just like at the beginning of the creation in Genesis 1, the Earth was “Without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep.” It wasn’t until God said, “Let there be light,” that the Earth finally had something to distinguish between day and night. 

In the fairytales or movies we’ve seen, we probably recognise that darkness generally has negative connotations and is usually linked with wickedness or evil. Whenever we see detectives visit a scene, it is always dark – and they have flashlights to see and identify objects in the dark. 

But why do bad things always happen in the darkness?

Of course, we wouldn’t witness a homicide scene happen in the light of day. Or people wouldn’t abuse substances in public where everyone would see them. Well over 50% of violent crimes happen between 6 pm – 6 am. Perpetrators commit acts of sin in the darkness because that is where they think no one is watching them (of course, God can see everything). 

In the Bible, the notion of light is mentioned many times:

“Rejoice not over me, O my enemy; when I fall, I shall rise; when I sit in darkness, the Lord will be a light to me.” – Micah 7:8

“For it is you who light my lamp; the Lord my God lightens my darkness.” – Psalm 18:28

“Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.” – Psalm 119:105

Or more specifically, the phrase “The Light of the World”:

“Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, ‘I am the Light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.’” – John 8:12

“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

In both cases, both Christ and we are called the lights of the world. Amongst the broken and dark world that we live in, the light of Christ is the only thing that can set us free from the bondage of sin. And in return, we must also share this Light to those around us, so that they, too, might be saved. 

Christ as the Light…

Out of the many ‘names’ that Christ has, such as the Shepherd, Living Water, Messiah, Son of Man, etc., the Light of the World is one that we don’t hear about often. John specifies that ‘whoever follows Me [Christ] will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life’. This implies that by walking with Him, we will be in the light, and far from the darkness and wickedness of the world (not quite physically, but we will be protected by God in every step of our lives). 

But, the keyword is, ‘whoever follows Me.’ This does not simply mean knowing of Christ and having a deep and intricate understanding of the most difficult parts of the Bible, but it means having a personal and genuine relationship with Christ. It means to surrender our all to Him. 

…of the World

Being the Light of the world means that the world was made for His Light. When the Light – Christ – comes, He will shine against the darkness and expose all the atrocities of the world. And, following God’s plan for our salvation through Christ’s death, Christ will be enthroned and worshipped by the people of Earth. As John 1:4 quotes, “In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it”. 

Christians as the light of the world

Jesus says, in Matthew 5:14, “You are the light of the world.” And in Ephesians 5:8, “At one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord.” 

Obviously, we can never compare to the holiness and light of Christ, but what does it mean when Jesus says that we are the light of the world? Similar to how we are also the salt of the earth, being the light of the world means that we must rise up and not hide our light as Christians. 

Being a source of light in the world means that we are being witnesses of Christ, proclaiming the Word, and revealing the truth, that is, Jesus Christ. 

Our calling as the lights of the world

God’s work is not only limited to pastors and missionaries, but every single one of us are called to serve Christ and shine together as a church. To fulfill our purpose as the light, we mustn’t stay in already well-lit places (i.e, our comfort zones), but we must reach out to those who do not have the light. Matthew 5:15 reads, “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.” 

So therefore, as Matthew quotes next, “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.”

Extra Bible reading: 1 John 1:5-9

– Written by: V.H.

Like most people, during the first few weeks of a new year, there are specific things that I do or feel every January. For example, I clean out my room, throw away old things, write out my New Year’s Resolutions, and feed into the urge to better myself this year – or you’ve probably heard the cliche phrase “New year, new me” thrown around everywhere.

Though we should really be improving ourselves throughout the year, it isn’t wrong to indulge ourselves in these norms. So, this year, let me take you through 5 of the habits I’d like to work on. 

1. Morning devotions and Bible reading

Giving our best can mean a lot of things, but something specific I’d like to mention is giving Him our best time of the day – that is, the morning when our minds are still fresh. By filling our thoughts with God’s words and His plan for us, we are better equipped for the day at hand. Though many of us might already spend our mornings reading His Word and doing devotions, there are still things that we can improve.

• Don’t touch your phone beforehand, or where possible, don’t read the Bible from your phone. While it’s efficient and compact, doing your devotions from your phone is just simply not it for a few reasons.
  • Distractions from notifications
  • The temptation to check social media or a game
  • Reading from your phone means that you’re losing the whole idea or ‘experience’ of flipping through the pages of a paper Bible. You lose perspective of where things are in the Bible. And, scrolling through the Bible on your phone almost feels like you’re just scrolling through any other app, even though the Bible is worth way more than that. (I’m not saying that it’s sinful to use your phone as a Bible, but why use your phone when you could use a paper Bible?)
• Where possible, try to do your morning devotions in a quiet environment when you’re able to concentrate because speaking from experience, reading the Bible on the way to school is not a great way to go. Hence why doing your devotions at your desk in the morning is the best option you have.
• Make sure we read both the Bible and devotions. A friend once told me that reading your devotions every morning is just taking in what someone else got from the Bible, whereas reading the Bible itself lets you also find joy in learning it directly. It isn’t wrong to read devotions (it is actually very important you do so), but devotions can’t be everything, and vice versa. Here are some devotional books I’d recommend if you don’t have one already:
  • My Utmost For His Highest – by Oswald Chambers
  • A Place of Quiet Rest – by Nancy Leigh DeMoss
  • Teen to Teen: 365 Daily Devotions (for girls and guys) – written by teenagers our age

2. Time management and prioritising

When talking to my friends – or in fact, people of all ages about our struggles, time management is always something that pops up. Every year, I’d pledge to myself that I’d use my planner and be organised, but it never really happened. 

While we’re still alive, time will keep going, with or without us on board – and we cannot go back to make up for the time that we have wasted. A simple way to change our mindset is to think that we’ll each be held accountable for every single second in our lives at the end of time. Have we used our time wisely for God’s glory?

And as a reminder, we must consider our calling right now as students. On top of ministry and extracurricular activities, we must know how to prioritise our responsibilities so that we can give our best to God with what we have.

3. Breaking free from screens

As Generation-Z, we’re quite known for being quite ‘advanced’ or tech-savvy. But after months of lockdown, being glued to our screens is something we’ve gotten too used to. Though the world around us revolves around pop culture or trends, we must know our place and purpose. 

Inevitably and unconsciously, the culture and norms we find in movies, songs, books are affecting our mindset, dragging us closer to this age’s worldview and away from God. If we aren’t firmly grounded in Christ, we will easily be pulled away by the current. 

Something you can add to your New Year’s Resolutions is lowering screen time!

4. Treating our bodies well

Something that isn’t really spoken about too often is how we must take care of our bodies because we are created in the image of God – “Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.” (1 Corinthians 6:19-20). 

Treating our bodies well doesn’t mean we can rest or do ‘self-care’ all day, as that is slothful. But it also does not mean that we have to train every day like an Olympian. To glorify God with our body means to follow His calling for us – to praise and worship Him and be a blessing to others. 

And in a more practical sense, treating our bodies as a temple of God also means not destroying our flesh or putting harmful things in it. Instead, we must stay pure and clean, bearing the image of God. 

5. Where do we find our joys?

Though this isn’t something we can exactly control, it is worth identifying where our affections are so that we may come closer to God. Whether we like it or not, the things on Earth are all temporary and will someday pass. We can only find true joy in God, and to do so, we must:

1. Read His Word to know who He actually is and what His will for us is. How are we able to develop a personal relationship with Christ if we don’t even know who He is?
2. Pray to Him, sharing our struggles because Christ is willing to stoop down to hear us. Though earthly friends may forsake us, a relationship with Christ is the only one that can bring eternal joy. 
3. Serve Him, be it through the church or in your everyday life. Ministry at church brings joy not only because we are serving Christ but also because of the togetherness and community with fellow brothers and sisters in Christ. 

And so, whether or not you’ll join me in working on these five habits, I pray that the beginning-of-year motivation drive doesn’t just end here, but may it continue throughout the year, that we better ourselves and find true joy in Christ. 

“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.” – Romans 15:13.

– Written by: V.H.