Message of Light

I’m going to date myself here, but there was a time when import cars were truly imported to the U.S. The reason they’re built in this country now has a lot to do with tariff laws on imported goods. An imported automobile entered the country pretty much bare bones or as original as they were sold in the country of origin. Before they could be sold to the American public several changes had to be made to elevate them to the set safety standards of the U.S. highway and transportation laws. Tires had to be changed, windshield wipers upgraded, and in later years the exhaust systems had to be upgraded to lawful standards not found in Europe and Japan. Air conditioning and radios had to be installed in the U.S. prior to sales. Funny thing is, most of those items were imported separately from Japan already. Well anyway, the modification necessary to conform to U.S. laws became so great the manufactures settled on building the automobiles in the U.S., although they still build and import many of the parts used. One modification necessary dealt with the lights on imports. Tail lights weren’t bright enough and in some cases big enough and had to be changed out. The biggie was the headlights. On some Japanese and some European cars the headlights were thought to be too dim and had to be upgraded, while on some, especially high-end European cars, the headlights were thought to be too bright and had to be down-graded. It’s silly to thing of today when one is driving down a night blackened highway and encounters a jacked-up, 4x4, extended-cab, dually, diesel pick-up coming toward you at 75 miles-per-hour with half-a-dozen kryptonite lights shining so brightly in your eyes you can no longer see the road. Headlights used to get adjusted at every annual inspection date.
A limited experienced seaman was the captain of his new-famed yacht. While traveling one night, on his trip around the world, he encountered a light in the distance, which he perceived to be coming toward him. He radioed, “Adjust your heading 10 degrees right.” A message replied, “You adjust your heading 10 degrees right.” The arrogant captain was not used to being told what to do and shot off another message, “This is a multi-million dollar yacht on tour around the world. Adjust your heading 10 degrees to the right!” The reply came, “You can’t intimidate a lighthouse!”
[Matthew 5: 13-16] “You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, so they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.” A lighthouse is built because someone found an area that could be deadly to seamen and felt the duty to warn of the danger. Christians know of the paths that lead to death, therefore Christians, by preaching the truth to whomever they can, whenever they can, sound a warning much like a lighthouse does. A lighthouse is strong and has a deep foundation so it can resist the harshness that will come. Christ is the firm foundation of the Christian and can withstand the many storms and hardships of life. The light from a lighthouse not only beams brightly, but continually, always warning. Similarly, Christians are to preach Christ continually, in word and in deed. Christians are to teach about destructive ways and shine a light on the path of righteousness, forgiveness and salvation. The Christian’s light beams brightly with the truths found in God’s Word.