From Seed to Fruit: The Growth Process – The Light Page 1
Let’s look at the next element required for growth: light. Light is the form of radiant energy that makes vision possible. Since sight is a very important sense, light furnishes most of the information that we have about our surroundings; and more importantly, light makes life itself possible. Green plants make direct use of the energy of sunlight to create food from water and carbon dioxide. Animals cannot make their own food; they get food by eating plants and plant-fed animals. The energy of sunlight contained in their food is released when the food is oxidized (combined with oxygen) in the animal’s body. Thus, most living things receive their energy, directly or indirectly, from the sun.
The nature of light has puzzled man since the most ancient of times. One belief was that it consisted of something that shot out of the eye and made things visible when it struck them. Aristotle refuted this idea when he asked, “Why, if the eye is the source of light, is it possible to see in the dark?” Light travels at over 186,000 miles per second. The speed of light is believed to be the maximum speed attainable by any material or object. Light is vital to the early growth of a plant – essential from the moment the first bit of green shows above the ground! Proper light produces thick-stemmed, leafy plants that are easily able to withstand the shock of transplanting. Seedlings need much more intense light that mature plants do, and suffer markedly if they do not receive it.
God is light. Light is symbolic of love, while darkness is symbolic of hate. Light and dark cannot co-exist. 2 Corinthians 6:14 (KJV) says, “Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers; for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? And what communion hath light with darkness?” That word “communion” means to join two or more things together to form something better than the individual things. This is like making a cake: adding sugar, flour, eggs and other things together to make a cake (which is better than eating plain flour or eggs!). The ingredients brought together in a communion can no longer be recognized as they were originally – just like when we make communion with God, our human spirit is joined together with the Holy Spirit to create a whole new being! We are not “improved” or “repaired,” we are completely new! 2 Corinthians 5:17 (KJV) says, “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” This new creature no longer has the desire to dwell with unbelievers. Proverbs 13:20 (The Message) says, “Become wise by walking with the wise; hang out with fools and watch your life fall to pieces.”
Light is a symbol of Jesus, righteousness, holiness, and glory. Darkness is a symbol of Satan, evil, and wickedness. Sunlight is the nature of God. God’s Kingdome is a kingdom of light, while Satan’s kingdom is a kingdom of darkness. The prism of light has seven main colors in it; seven is God’s number of completion and perfection. The three different kinds of light rays can be symbolic of the Trinity of God. Chemical rays are invisible, yet powerful, symbolic of God the Father. Light rays are actually a reflection – they can be seen but not felt. This is symbolic of Jesus. Heat rays can be felt but not seen. This is symbolic of the Holy Spirit. God IS light! Isaiah 60:20 (The Message) says, “God will be your eternal light, your God will bathe you in splendor. Your sun will never go down, your moon will never fade. I will be your eternal light.” John 1:4-9 (The Message) says, “What came into existence was Life, and the Life was Light to live by. The Life-Light blazed out of the darkness; the darkness couldn’t put it out. There once was a man, his name was John, sent by God to point out the way to the Life-Light. He came to show everyone where to look, who to believe in. John was not himself the Light; he was there to show the way to the Light. The Life-Light was the real thing: every person entering Life he brings to Light.”
Let’s chew on that for a bit. The next post will complete this section on light!