November 22, 2024

The Light of Men

December 14, 2015 by

adventwk3seekHimlighthascome

In the beginning [before all time] was the Word (Christ),
and the Word was with God,
and the Word was God Himself.
He was [continually existing] in the beginning [co-eternally] with God
All things were made and came into existence through Him;
and without Him not one thing was made that has come into being.
In Him was life [and the power to bestow life],
and the life was the Light of men.
The Light shines on in the darkness,
and the darkness did not understand it or overpower it
or appropriate it or absorb it [and is unreceptive to it].
John 1:1-5 AMP

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Darkness is defined as the absence of light.  The only thing that can make darkness disappear is light.  Think about it…at night a small light can be seen from very far away.  We see stars that are millions of miles away.  Makes sense, right?  As I was studying this Scripture, I had a “lightbulb” moment < pun intended 😉 >

Before I accepted Jesus, my soul was dark.  There was no light to dispel the darkness.  Life and light aren’t just in Jesus.  Jesus IS Life and Light.  Look at John 8:12 NASB:

Then Jesus again spoke to them, saying,
“I am the Light of the world;
he who follows Me will not walk in the darkness,
but will have the Light of life.”

Jesus IS the Light of men.  John 12:46 ESV reiterates this:

I have come into the world as Light,
so that whoever believes in me may not remain in darkness.

We do not have to stay in darkness!  I love John 1:5.  Darkness does not understand, comprehend, or grasp the Light but must acknowledge it.  Darkness cannot overtake, overcome, overpower, extinguish, or absorb the Light but must reflect it.  Isn’t that amazing? What is the best way to deal with the darkness of this world?  Add more light.  Darkness cannot hide the Light!  2 Corinthians 4:6 NASB promises: “Light shall shine out of darkness.”  Jesus’ Light shines through us.  Jesus gives us life and light.  Out of the darkness of our soul, the Light of Jesus shines.  John MacArthur puts it like this:

“The light in us is His light, the indwelling Christ, the Holy Spirit within us.”

“…And the life was The Light of men” (John 1:4).  Heaven merged with humanity and was born in a manger to bring us the gift of Life and Light.  What a Gift we have been given!

Filed Under: Seeking Him Daily Devotional Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Glow In The Dark

November 16, 2015 by

psalmshymnsspiritualsongskjv

Sometimes the world feels like a mess
Full of drama, full of stress
And life puts a fist right in your ribs
You can hide if you choose to
And no one would even blame you
Or you can let ’em see how you deal with it

That even in the darkest place
His love can make you radiate

Doesn’t matter how deep, how dark the night is
Keep hoping, keep on shining
And they’ll see His light burning in your heart
And if the road gets rough, just keep your head up
Let the world see what you’re made of
That His love’s alive in your deepest parts
Like a flame, like a burning star
You can shine right where you are
He made you to glow in the dark

Don’t be ashamed of your past
If you’re shattered like a piece of glass
The more broke you are the more the light gets through
Show your wounds and your flaws
Show them why you still need the Cross
Let them see the work He’s doing in you

That even in the darkest place
His love can make you radiate

Jason Gray, singer/songwriter

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And you, beloved, are the light of the world.  You are like that illuminating light. Let your light shine everywhere you go, that you may illuminate creation, so men and women everywhere may see your good actions, may see creation at its fullest, may see your devotion to Me, and may turn and praise your Father in heaven because of it.

Matthew: 5:14-16 The Voice

For a long time I thought, as a Christian, I needed to hide my struggles, my flaws. Then I realized broken is still beautiful to God.

“If you’re shattered like a piece of glass
The more broke you are the more the light gets through
Show your wounds and your flaws
Show them why you still need the Cross
Let them see the work He’s doing in you “

This is my favorite part of the song and, I think, the soul of this song. Others need to see our brokenness and how we respond in times of desperation and despair.  Christians are not perfect.  We are imperfect people loved by a perfect God.  We need to let our imperfections, our cracks, and scars show…because His light shines through them. Our imperfections reveal God’s grace to the world. Our weaknesses reveal His strength. It is more about being who we are than what we do. In John 12:46 NLT Jesus says:

I have come as a Light to shine in this dark world,
so that all who put their trust in Me
will no longer remain in the dark.

Jesus’ Light shines through us. As this song says

“That even in the darkest place
His love can make you radiate”

It is the brightest in our darkest situations.  In Matthew 5:16 we are called to let our light shine.  Not only in the good times but in our dark times also.  Then we can illuminate others in the darkness as well. This is such a joy-filled song. We can experience joy in our darkest nights because of His love. It doesn’t matter how deep or how dark our night is—we can still “glow in the dark,” radiating joy and the love of Jesus.

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Thank You, Lord, that Your love makes us radiate even in our darkest place.  I am so thankful You find beauty in my brokenness and can use my imperfections and cracks to shine Your Light through.  In Your Holy Name – Amen, it is so!

Filed Under: Psalms Hymns and Spiritual Songs Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , ,

Light of Lights

February 24, 2015 by

SeekingHimLogo

Recorded in the Gospel of John, our Lord made seven statements referring to Himself as I AM…

I AM The Light of the World
I AM The Good Shepherd
I AM The Way, The Truth, and The Life
I AM The Bread of Life
I AM The True Vine
I AM The Door
I AM The Resurrection and the Life

Each week during this season of Lent, here on the Seeking Him blog, we will be focusing our devotionals on a different aspect of Jesus’ revelation of Himself as I AM. The aim of Lent should be to prepare our hearts for the remembrance of Jesus’ sacrifice—His trial and torture, the Crucifixion and His death…and above all, the celebration of His Resurrection from the dead.  We pray that this will be a great encouragement to each of you who read them.  And that all of us will consider the significance of Jesus’ words and, through them, be helped as we remember and are thankful for all Jesus went through during the last few weeks of His life on this earth.

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Then Jesus spoke to them again: “I am the Light of the world.
Anyone who follows Me will never walk in the darkness
but will have the Light of life.”
John 8:12 HCSB

“The visible light of the world is the sun and Christ is the Sun of Righteousness. One sun enlightens the whole world.”
– Charles Spurgeon

Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines light as “the form of energy that makes it possible to see things.” Isn’t that an appropriate description of Christ?  He lights up our lives with truth and grace.

One of the most important symbols of light in the Old Testament is the pillar of fire.  The pillar of fire is mentioned in Exodus, Numbers, Deuteronomy, Nehemiah, Psalms and Revelations.

Nehemiah 9:12 (NASB) states:

…with a pillar of fire by night to light for them the way in which they were to go.

That is what Christ does for us, He illuminates the way for us to go…IF we choose to follow. I love how John 12:46 (NLT) puts it:

“I have come as a Light to shine in this dark world,
so that all who put their trust in Me will no longer remain in the dark.”

We do not have to remain in the dark!  When we choose to trust Christ, the darkness must flee. It is our choice whether or not we continue in darkness.

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Lord, thank You for illuminating my world with Your Light.  Help me to clearly see the path You have lit up for me.  Remind me I no longer have to remain in the dark.  I can remain in You instead. In Your name I pray – Amen, it is so!

Filed Under: Seeking Him Daily Devotional Tagged With: , , , , , , , , ,

Don’t Stand Alone

June 23, 2014 by

SeekingHimLogo

I look for someone to come and help me, but no one gives me a passing thought!
No one will help me; no one cares a bit what happens to me.
Then I pray to you, O Lord. I say, “You are my place of refuge.
You are all I really want in life.
Psalms 142:4-5

In this world we live in, though filled with many people, we are sometimes faced with the lonely task of standing alone.  When we’ve made shameful mistakes and feel no one will understand, or when we celebrate glorious victories that others envy.  Sometimes, we must stand alone.  Now when I say alone, I mean, of course, without other people…not without God.  God is always willing to stand with us!

Given, we can choose to not accept the comfort of God, but this would be an unwise choice.  God can shed light on a situation in ways the human mind could not begin to fathom.

I have come as a Light to shine in this dark world,
so that all who put their trust in Me will no longer remain in the dark.
John 12:46

At times our troubles may seem many, and our hearts may feel heavy, and we feel oh-so-alone in this big, big world.  We need to always  remember that, where there may be no one else, there is God.  There is always God!

But joyful are those who have the God of Israel as their Helper,
whose hope is in the Lord their God.
He made heaven and earth, the sea, and everything in them.
He keeps every promise forever.
Psalms 146:5-6

Why try to face the world alone when you have an ever-faithful, unconditionally loving, providing endless mercies God you serve?!

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Lord, this life can get tough. This life can get lonely.  But You are always by our side, an ever-present aid!  Thank You for lifting us up and walking with us until we finish our days and join You in the heavens.  Amen.

Filed Under: Seeking Him Daily Devotional Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , ,