Light

Jesus once again addressed them:  “I am the world’s light.  No one who follows me stumbles around in the darkness.  I provide plenty of light in which to live.”     The Message  John 8:12

A few weeks ago I was privileged to hear a very dear friend give a devotional on Light and how important it is in our lives.  One of the points she made that stuck with me states, “In the darkness, we only need enough light to see the next step.  God’s word is that light.”

If you’ve ever walked into a totally dark room with a flashlight or a candle, then you know how it lights your way.  Light doesn’t need to announce its arrival or ask darkness to leave, it just does.  When light walks ahead of you, darkness just rolls back like the tide.  Darkness can’t be where light is.

How often in our lives is having light enough to see the next step just not enough for us?  We want to be able to see the plan laid out in glowing color so we will be able to make the right choices, choose the right path, or say the right thing.  The problem that way of thinking presents, is that it is through our abiding relationship with Jesus that He lights the direction we should take step by step.

During this Advent season, we  should all be mindful of how much brighter this world is because Jesus was born into it.  His light gives us spiritual clarity and understanding .  With Him, we can walk with integrity, confidence, and boldness while He provides instruction and direction for our lives.

On that Holy Night when the world was walking in darkness, a Light came and shone in that darkness to lead those who would see, hear and follow Him to a new and perfect life.  The Holy Spirit works not by overcoming power with brute force, but by subverting power with gentleness and humility.

Now that He has come to give us light, our job is to let our light shine so that others might be drawn to His love.