29. I AM THE LIGHT OF
THE WORLD
“Then spake
Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the
light of life.” (John 8:12)
The tropical breeze and the lovely nearby Pacific Ocean richly
refreshes my soul each time I fly that 3 and half hour flight from Tokyo southward
to Guam Island in the middle of the Pacific, to let Christ’s Divine Light shine
there to the greatest extent possible while enjoying pleasant
tropical life. I like to migrate south to Guam in the dead of winter to
escape the cold and snow where I live in Japan. While doing outdoor evangelism,
I prefer swatting mosquitoes over wading in snow and shivering from the cold.
While on Guam for a few weeks in 1978, I was knocking on doors in
a small, old, rundown apartment building down on Hotel Row near the ocean,
talking to people about Jesus and inviting them to come to church. Walking up
the open stairway of the concrete building to the 2nd floor, the
nearest apartment door to the stairway was partly open. So
when I knocked on that door, I could easily hear the somewhat faint and
“drugged”, slurred male voice say, “Come in.” ‘Lord, be with me now powerfully, I pray.’
Entering carefully, I saw 2 young brown Guam
Chamorro men slouched in separate chairs in the sparsely furnished living room.
Each of them was passive regarding me, appearing to be in somewhat of a trance
or daze. Seeing a spit can near each man and red betel nut juice around their
mouths, I knew they were chewing betel nut, a mild drug. No telling what other
drugs were coursing thru their veins. ‘Lord, what
do I say?’
Neither man said much
when I greeted them kindly. So I soon started speaking
of Jesus with the words my Lord gave me. Both of the men
listened silently and passively, causing me to wonder how well my words were “registering”
in their minds. Anyway, I continued witnessing to them of eternal matters while
silently praying for the Holy Spirit to move in their hearts. Soon, one of them
speaks up.
“You know, when you started talking, it was like I could see some light at the end of a tunnel.”
“Me too,” chimed in his buddy. “It’s like I can see light at the end of a long dark tunnel.”
I was truly amazed by my Lord so
graciously and clearly giving God’s Light unto these 2 young men steeped in darkness.
‘Thank Thee, Lord Jesus, for shining Thy Light into
each of these darkened hearts!’
I took their words as a cue from my Lord and began speaking on Jesus being the Light of the world and how that He desires to come into our lives to drive out sin’s darkness and to fill our lives with Light and God’s Joy. They listened well as I spoke.
“You know, we are supposed to be at work now. But we just stayed
here today to do this.” (To do drugs) You employers reading this can well
imagine what problems these 2 employees were causing their boss this day.
I prayed for them, gave each a tract with the church’s name and location on the
tract and asked them to please come to church.
“Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying,
I am the light of the world: he that followeth
me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.” (John 8:12) “My Lord Jesus, please shine Thy Divine Light fully into
my entire being to expel all darkness that is within my heart. Please
guide my footsteps to always follow Thee in order not to walk in
darkness, but rather to have the light of life, and to always walk in Thy
Divine Light. I also pray this for all other souls on earth. Amen”
“Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set
on an hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light
a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light
unto all that are in the house. Let your light so shine before
men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your
Father which is in heaven.” (Matthew 5:14~16)
“Lord Jesus, please enable me to perfectly be the light of the world
spoken of by Thee in Matthew 5:14. By Thy Almighty Power, please keep my light
from being hidden. Save me from purposely putting my precious
light under a bushel. Save me to the utmost from ever being ashamed
to let my light shine for Thee. Please make my godly light ever so bright
that it gives light to all the people around me. I strongly desire to
let my light so shine before men, that they may see my good works, and glorify
God the Father in Heaven. Please enable me to do so.
“Please bless and multiply Missionary Richard’s efforts as he
shines forth Thy True Light in spiritually dark, rural, mountainous
Japan. Please save many Japanese around him who daily walk in and live
in gross spiritual darkness. Deliver them from all darkness and evil,
Lord, I pray. Set captives free from the devil to trust in The One True God
their Creator and to come to love Thee with all their heart. Amen.”
Richard Yerby (Matsuida,
Japan) www.Christ-is-all.us