The Light shines in the Darkness and the Darkness has not overcome it. (John 1:5).

What is this Light? Love. Who is this Light? God. (1 John 1:5).

God is love. (1 John 4:16).

To know God better—to know the Light we are spreading better—it helps to substitute the word “God” for the word “love” in the most famous definition of love ever written—the words that are read so often at weddings:

God is gentle, God is kind. God does not envy, God does not boast, God is not proud. God does not dishonor others, God is not self-seeking, God is not easily angered, God keeps no record of wrongs. God does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. God always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

God never fails. (paraphrase of 1 Corinthians 13:4-8).

How do we know if we are spreading Light? We know by the fruit we find in our lives, our families, our communities, and all Humanity.

What are these fruit?

I remember being taught in my first college writing course that a good way to define something is to start by defining what it is NOT. The same Apostle Paul who penned the definition of love that I paraphrased to describe God, listed examples of what is NOT the fruit of spreading Love, of spreading Light:

sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. (Galatians 5:19-24).

After describing what is NOT the fruit of spreading God’s Spirit, Paul described how we and all Humanity should live. We should spread the Light that grows love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. (Galatians 5:22-23).

How do we spread these fruit of the Holy Spirit to our lives, to our families, to our communities, and to all Humanity?

Not by might nor by power, says the LORD God, but by his Spirit. (Zechariah 4:6).

By his gift of Amazing Grace that transforms us to become God’s handwork, doing good works. (Ephesians 4-10).

By letting our Light shine before all Humanity so that they may see our good deeds and praise our Father in heaven.

By following the Way of Jesus so that we become the Light of all Humanity.

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More about following the Way of Jesus to light all Humanity can be found in my book, Lighting the World.

My first writing course in college was taught by Professor Nancy Barcus.