This time last week I sat in the dark. There were no lamps, no overhead lights on; I couldn’t turn them on if I wanted to. It was a Monday, a typical Monday if you know what I mean. My power had been turned off and there was nothing I could do about it. Can you relate?
On day one of this week, Teresa asked us which verse in John chapter 1 could we relate to the most, right now, where we are. I chose verse 5, not even realizing that it was my topic for this week. God is funny like that, right? John 1: 4-5 says this: “The word gave life to everything that was created, and His life brought light to everyone. The light shines in the darkness and the darkness cannot extinguish it!”
Do you understand what that means? The darkness of evil never can and never will overcome God’s Light. Jesus Christ is the Creator of life, and we are dead people walking until He comes into our lives and breathes life into us. His life brings light to us and in His light we see ourselves as we really are—sinners in need of a Savior, a Redeemer.
When we choose to follow Jesus, He becomes our true Light and we no longer have to walk blindly and fall into our old sinful ways. He lights the path ahead of us so that we can see the way we need to live. He removes the darkness of sin in our lives. He shows us how to walk along the way to freedom from sin and darkness. See, all who welcome Jesus as Lord of their lives will never have to live in darkness. Now, that doesn’t mean we will not have trouble or trials; and that doesn’t mean that we won’t sin. It just means that no matter how dark your world may feel, He is there, giving you hope, peace, and joy. And remember, He became human Himself and experienced some of the same sufferings and hardships that we go through. He is your beacon in this sometimes dark world.
Our verse for today is John 8:12. “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life!” Here, Jesus was talking to the people again, in the part of the Temple called the treasury. It was where offerings were put and where candles burned to symbolize the pillar of fire that led the people of Israel through the wilderness. The pillar of fire represented God’s presence, His guidance, and His protection. In this context, Jesus Himself calls Himself the Light of the world. He is God’s Presence in our lives. He is God’s protection over us and He is God’s guidance. God sent His own Son! Is that not amazing that He loves us that much?
The last verses I found in the Bible that talk about Jesus being the Light are in 2 Corinthians 4:6-7. “For God, who said, ‘Let there be light in the darkness,’ has made us understand that this light is the brightness of the glory of God that is seen in the face of Jesus Christ. But this precious treasure, this light and power that now shines within us, is held in perishable containers, that is, our weak bodies, so everyone can see that our glorious power is from God and is not our own.” We are perishable containers yet God entrusted us with His precious treasure, Jesus Christ, His Son; that this Light shines brighter than any darkness we could possibly have in our lives.
I did a little research on the sunflower (it is my favorite flower) and it actually bends toward the sun so that it can catch as much light as it possibly can. In the early morning, it actually tilts to the east, and by twilight it tilts to the west. If you take the flower and place it in a dark closet, it will still continue to bend everyday, just as it did when it was outside. Even the sunflower knows that the ones that are most likely to survive are the ones that catch the most light.
Friends, I don’t want to just survive; I want to really thrive both physically and spiritually! The only way to do that is to stay bending toward the Light—the light of our Lord Jesus Christ.
What about you today? Where does He need to shine in your life? What darkness is threatening to suck the life out of you? It is simple, really. Just ask and He will come rescue you and fill you with His Light.
And back to my story about the power outage…God came through as He always does and performed another miracle and the lights came back on. I praised Him the rest of the day!
Let’s Pray:
Dear Heavenly Daddy, thank You for sending Jesus, Your only Son, as a Light for all who believe and receive Him into their hearts and lives. For once we were in darkness, and now we have the Light of the Lord. May we live as people of the Light. May we produce only what is good, with a heavy reliance on You. Oh Lord, we love You, we praise You, and we want only You to be the Light of our lives. Nothing of this world will satisfy and fulfill us. May we seek You and may our lights shine so that others will want what we have. For it is in Your Son’s precious Name, we pray.
Amen
