We’ll Leave the Light On for You

The Lord lives! Praise to my Rock!
….May the God of my salvation be exalted! Psalm 18:46 (NLT)

Luke 11:33-36 (<<click to read the passage)
If I type the phrase, “We’ll leave the light on for you”, I can guarantee that most of you would recognize it. Some would know that it is a commercial slogan. Some might even remember it is used by Motel 6 and some may possibly know that it is a phrase coined by Tom Bodett of National Public Radio (NPR) fame.
What you may not realize is that Bodett was hired by Motel 6 way back in 1986 when a creative director for an ad agency heard him on NPR. A tidbit of trivia is that Bodett ad-libbed that famous line because the radio script was running short. And now every time you hear the phrase, “We’ll leave the light on for you” in your head you hear Tom Bodett’s voice, and more than likely, you’ll have that little folksy tune with guitar and fiddle in the background knocking around in your head, too.
But that phrase…they have featured it in their ads for the last 34 years (that’s as long as we’ve been married!) – and it works for them, exceptionally well, because it communicates a warm welcome.
In our mind’s eye, we see a home a ways out and the sun is setting but we see the friendly glow of a light in the window. It beckons us to come. We are invited to enter, to be a part of the loving hospitality that we will find inside.
The key is that the light is visible. It is not in a corner of a room with the curtains drawn. It is not casting its light in a darkened cellar where only the occupants can benefit from the light that shines forth from it. It is sat in a prominent place for all to see, for all to feel its warmth, for all to understand its invitation to partake of the good found inside.
It’s a little odd to think this way but is very illuminating, as well! (Pun most definitely intended!) Jesus tells us, “The eye is the lamp of your body.”
The eye uses light. That is how we see. That’s how God created us. But Jesus is telling us that “The eye is the lamp of your body.” And he goes on to say – and I’m going to break this down a bit because I don’t want you to rush through it…take your time, ponder each phrase. We miss way too much when we are in a hurry.

When your eye is clear …

….[spiritually perceptive, focused on God] …

……..your whole body also is full of light …

…………[benefiting from God’s precepts].

But when it is bad [spiritually blind] …

….your body also is full of darkness …

……..[devoid of God’s word].

Be careful, therefore, …

….that the light that is in you is not darkness.

So if your whole body is illuminated …

….with no dark part …

……..it will be entirely bright …

…………[with light] …

…………….as when the lamp gives you light with its bright rays.” Vs.35-36 (AMP)

Oh, be careful little eyes what you see…
Remember those words? My study Bible* has this to say,

…the eye represents spiritual understanding and insight. Evil desires make the eye less sensitive and blot out the light of Christ’s presence. If you have a hard time seeing God at work in the world and in your life, check your vision. Are any sinful desires blinding you to Christ?

Lord Jesus, help clear our vision. The world needs to clearly see your loving, warm welcome. May our light not be hindered by the looming darkness, but may it pierce the darkness with its everlasting light! Amen!

*Life Application Study Bible New Living Translation

June 24^th, 2020, Wed, 6:57 pm