September 3: The light

Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.”  (John 8:12 — New King James Version)

In the very beginning when God said, “Let there be light!” — it was the Lord Jesus that brought that light into being. And when God wanted to take the light of salvation and truth to the world, He sent Jesus as a man. All light comes from Jesus — physical light and spiritual light. He is the light of the world.

But Jesus didn’t come simply to be the light of the world, He came to bring light to each of us. He is the light that expels darkness, fear, confusion, death, and evil. One name for Satan is prince of darkness, but just as a light drives darkness away from a room, Jesus drives Satan away from our lives. In the four books that give an account of the life and work of the Lord Jesus on earth, we see Him repeatedly bringing light into people’s lives — forgiveness for those weighted down by their past — healing for the sick — hope for those who’ve given up — love for the abandoned — freedom for the oppressed — direction for the lost — strength for the weak — and eternal life for the dying.

The Lord Jesus wants to shine His light on you, and expel any darkness that might be there. He wants you to be a child of the light, to know the truth, and to be totally freed by it — totally. He said, “He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.” When Jesus is a stranger to us, we’re groping around in the darkness. We don’t know why we are here on earth or where we should be heading. Our future is only guess-work because we have no way of knowing what’s in store for us, life is a crapshoot. This explains the popularity of psychics, readers, and the horoscope for some people. Because they are unfamiliar with Jesus the Light, they are desperately trying to find their way in life. 

But when we come to Jesus, are honest and sincere with Him, open our lives to His words and teaching, and apply it in a radical way… then His light comes pouring through the darkness, and evil loses control because we are walking in the light. This is not automatic. This won’t happen because you attend church on Sunday mornings, or because you say that you are born-again. This happens when we radically apply God’s Word to our lives and demand that His light drive out the darkness. — May we all experience this light in our lives.