The firefly is a beetle that is fascinating to all of us. Seeing their little lights flashing on for a second or two, like a spark of fire on warm summer evenings, is an interesting experience. They are also sometimes called lightning bugs or lightning beetles. In some tropical areas there are large firefly species, and natives keep them in bottles to use for light.
Scientists would like to duplicate this kind of heatless light, because it is much more efficient than electricity. They know how the light is produced, but the chemical reactions, one set to turn on the light and another to turn off the light, are so complex that man has not been able to use them. We should not be surprised at this, because it is a very special reaction created for these insects by God their Creator.
The firefly begins life in the ground; even its eggs have a glow to them. Before it is ready to fly, it develops into a glowworm. You may have seen these shining as they crawl around looking for food.
There is another illuminated insect found in some caves in New Zealand. This little fly, while still a maggot, gathers in groups of several thousand on the ceilings of caves and glows in the darkness. It first attaches itself to the roof of the cave. Then a two-foot-long string drops from its mouth with small, sticky balls on it. It waits in the darkness with its taillight glowing, until it feels a victim struggling to get loose from one of the sticky balls. Pulling it up, it eats the victim along with the string. Then it lets down a new string.
There are over 500,000 species of insects throughout the world, and God has made each one different. This variety of creation speaks of His handiwork and never-tiring care over them. All these little creatures, as we see them today, are exactly the same as they were the day they were created thousands of years ago. God designed each one to reproduce after its kind. Furthermore, they always obey His laws without question, and by doing so every need is provided for.
We are reminded by these lighted creatures that the Lord Jesus was announced as the true Light of the world. God has given His people a special kind of light which He wants displayed too. His Word, the Bible, says, “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven” (Matthew 5:1616Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven. (Matthew 5:16)).
But the only true light shining from us is that which comes from God. King David referred to this in Psalm 18:2828For thou wilt light my candle: the Lord my God will enlighten my darkness. (Psalm 18:28), “For Thou wilt light my candle: the Lord my God will enlighten my darkness.” It is only when we accept the Lord Jesus Christ as our Saviour by faith that He brings us “out of darkness into His marvelous light.” Then we can please Him in our activities and shine out for Him.
AUGUST 4, 1996
ML-08/04/1996