When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”
John 8:12
There is something about light. It makes the boogey-man run away. It allows us to see where we are driving in the middle of the night. It brings freshness to a new day. Light is equivalent to hope and joy. A single light bulb in a dark room can transform even the furthest corners.
But light – true light – is not limited to what is illuminated on the outside. Having a life filled with light doesn’t mean that one will never have darkness, struggles or obstacles, but rather having a light filled life means always having a central core of understanding whose you are.
When we are inconvenienced for a day or several without electricity – as many were this summer- we find we are nearly at a loss by not having lights in our homes. We unconsciously walk into a room and flip the switch expecting the light to emerge, and when it doesn’t we are shocked and a little outraged. What would happen if we began to feel outraged when we didn’t experience the light of Christ in ourselves or in others? How different would our approach to evangelism or to sharing God’s love be if we assumed that the light of Christ already existed in another friend? If in fact the switch just needed to be flipped in his or her life?
In reality, we have all been born with a desire to be in the light. We crave it. We need light both externally in our lives to function but more importantly inside our spirits to help us truly see; to truly love; to truly feel; to truly be children of God.
As we approach our friends, let us not be leery of how to share God’s love with them, but rather let us look at their lives as needing someone to help “flip the switch” so that they might know the light of Jesus and their lives can also be bright and full of all of the good stuff – even in a very dark world.
Scripture
John 8:12-30
Quote of the Day
There is something about light. It makes the boogey-man run away. It allows us to see where we are driving in the middle of the night. It brings freshness to a new day. Light is equivalent to hope and joy. A single light bulb in a dark room can transform even the furthest corners.
But light – true light – is not limited to what is illuminated on the outside. Having a life filled with light doesn’t mean that one will never have darkness, struggles or obstacles, but rather having a light filled life means always having a central core of understanding whose you are.
When we are inconvenienced for a day or several without electricity – as many were this summer- we find we are nearly at a loss by not having lights in our homes. We unconsciously walk into a room and flip the switch expecting the light to emerge, and when it doesn’t we are shocked and a little outraged. What would happen if we began to feel outraged when we didn’t experience the light of Christ in ourselves or in others? How different would our approach to evangelism or to sharing God’s love be if we assumed that the light of Christ already existed in another friend? If in fact the switch just needed to be flipped in his or her life?
In reality, we have all been born with a desire to be in the light. We crave it. We need light both externally in our lives to function but more importantly inside our spirits to help us truly see; to truly love; to truly feel; to truly be children of God.
As we approach our friends, let us not be leery of how to share God’s love with them, but rather let us look at their lives as needing someone to help “flip the switch” so that they might know the light of Jesus and their lives can also be bright and full of all of the good stuff – even in a very dark world.
Scripture
John 8:12-30
Quote of the Day
(with some explanation)
Helen Keller was born deaf and blind. She could not see or hear and yet she had one of the more profoundly impactful lives in the world – without ever seeing the light many of us take for granted.
She said, “I can see, and that is why I can be happy, in what you call the dark, but which to me is golden. I can see a God-made world, not a man made world.”
Helen Keller was born deaf and blind. She could not see or hear and yet she had one of the more profoundly impactful lives in the world – without ever seeing the light many of us take for granted.
She said, “I can see, and that is why I can be happy, in what you call the dark, but which to me is golden. I can see a God-made world, not a man made world.”
By not being constrained by what the outside world showed her, she was able to experience true happiness and beauty lit from within – lit with the light of Jesus.
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