Sometimes I have to go out to my shed to get something when it’s dark. I usually forget to take a flashlight, so when I get there I’m just frustrated because I can’t find what I’m looking for because it is so dark.
In John 8:12, Jesus says, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” Jesus is the light of the world. But why do we need a light? Because the world is actually a dark place because of sin and satan. The world we live in can be extremely difficult to navigate through.
Most of the time we don’t even realize how dark it is or what obstacles are out there because we are blind even to the darkness. We see life through our own eyes which normally give us a self-centered, pleasure seeking, pain avoiding, idol making perspective. It’s really hard to walk in darkness. You don’t know where you are going or what is before you. It can be scary, dangerous and frustrating.
But Jesus knows this world, he knows about our skewed perspective on life. So he tells us he is the light of the world. He will be our light for us. One of my friends has a flashlight, but it’s not your ordinary flashlight. It is the size of a mini-mag light, about six inches long, but this light is bright. It is actually as bright as a car headlight. We were at a camp where it gets really dark at night but having him shine this light made it look like daylight.
This is what Jesus does when we follow him. The very presence of Jesus in our life lights up our way. I see people everyday walking in darkness. They do things that they are completely blind to see how harmful they are and how contrary their actions are to the way they were created to live. I’m not trying to be judgmental, I really feel sorry for them. I pray that God would open their eyes to see Jesus, his love, his mercy, his grace and his forgiveness. I pray that they would believe in Jesus so they can see where they are going in life and how their life needs to be satisfied by God himself and that they need to be living for His glory and not their own. Then I look at my own life and how I often choose to walk in the darkness.
I know Jesus is leading me in one direction, but I will choose to walk in a different one. So then I pray that God will pick me up and put me back on the path to follow Jesus. May you and I follow Jesus today, the Light of the world, so that we can clearly see where we are going, and that we can clearly see God’s will for us today and how we might glorify Him in all that we say, do and think about.
All for Jesus,
Fletch
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