The Light of the World
“Ye are,” says Christ, “the light of the world.” As the sun goes forth
upon its errand of mercy and love, as the golden beams of day flood
the canopy of heaven and beautify forest and mountain, awakening the
world by dispelling the darkness of night, so the followers of Christ
should go forth upon their mission of love. Gathering divine rays of
light from the great Light of the world, they should let them shine forth
in good works upon those who are in the darkness of error.
Do you, my brethren and sisters, realize that you are the light of
the world? Do you, in your words and deportment at home, leave a
bright track heavenward? What is it to be the light of the world? It is
to have God for your guide, to have the companionship of holy angels,
and to reflect to others the light that shines upon you from above. But
if you fail to exercise Christian courtesy, forbearance, and love in your
families, God and holy angels are grieved away; and instead of being
the light of the world, you are bodies of darkness.
It is possible, through the grace of Christ, to have control over
yourselves at all times. If a dear friend, one whose good opinion you
greatly desired, should come into your home, you would not be found
fretting and scolding; but you would control your words and actions,
and would seek in every way to so conduct yourselves as to gain his
respect and confidence. Shall we take more care in the presence of a
comparative stranger than in the presence of those who are dear to us
by the ties of nature; or in the presence of Jesus and heavenly angels?
God forbid; for by so doing we fail to meet the claims of high heaven
upon us.
It is not the will of God that we should be gloomy or impatient;
nor that we should be light and trifling. It is Satan’s studied plan
to push persons from one extreme to the other. As children of the
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light, God would have us cultivate a cheerful, happy spirit, that we
may show forth the praises of him who hath called us out of darkness
into his marvelous light. A lady once lived in our family nine years,
and during all this time we did not hear an impatient word or a light
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