Monday, March 11, 2024

           In John’s gospel, Jesus declared, “I am the light of the world” (John 8:12 and 9:5).  The first part of that statement, “I am,” also confirmed Jesus’ deity.  The Lord was declaring Himself to be God—much like the way Moses experienced the name of God at the burning bush in Exodus.  John’s gospel consistently connected Jesus with the statement “I am.”  Take some time and read through all of Jesus’ “I am” statements in John’s gospel alone.  And as saved believers, we affirm that Jesus is God in the flesh.  Speaking about light again in John 12, Jesus had this to say, “’You are going to have the light just a little while longer. Walk while you have the light, before darkness overtakes you. Whoever walks in the dark does not know where they are going. Believe in the light while you have the light, so that you may become children of light.’  When he had finished speaking, Jesus left and hid himself from them” (John 12:35-36).  Now there is a lot of truth to embrace in those two verses.  Let’s see what Jesus has to say to us as we prepare ourselves for the events of Holy Week—just two weeks from now.
            First, we have light.  Not just the sun or the electricity that powers our light bulbs and lamps.  We have the light of Christ in the world—His word, His trust, His presence and His power.  The world may often strike you as a dark place or a place where sin seems to reign and multiply by the day.  But sin does not have the last word and it does not have to reign in us.  The darkness we see does not have to descend upon us and reign over us either.  Christ is light.  And by His coming, He brought light into the world for us.  Paul reminds us of what we possess, “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ” (Ephesians 1:3). 
            Second, we are commanded to walk in the light.  Know the Lord and walk with Him.  Grow your faith and your passion for the Lord.  Walk in the truth.  Be blameless before the Lord.  Embrace the things that are good, righteous and true.  To walk in the light means we know the Word and we are charting a pathway laid out for us by the Word.  Let the fruit of the Spirit in Galatians 5:22-23 be a guide for you as you navigate your way through each day—looking to honor Christ and to resist and reject sin and wickedness.
            Third, Jesus reminds us that if we are walking in darkness we do not know where we are going.  It takes no special effort or intentionality to walk in darkness.  We do this naturally.  By nature, we are sinful and fallen.  By default, we choose our ways above His ways and our wishes above His will.  To walk in darkness means we have not embraced Christ as the way, the truth and the life.  We have lost our way.  We have been deceived.  And we are living in death and shadows rather than light and glory. Scripture plainly teaches us what is right or wrong or good or bad. Some matters are branded as sinful while other activities are named as righteous or worthy.  Even in the areas where the Bible may not specifically speak with detail and description, we have principles, truths and wisdom from the Lord that we can apply.  For example, the Bible does not specifically instruct us how to buy or sell a house in America in 2024.  But the Bible does speak about being honest, trustworthy, upright and blameless.  The Bible does speak to the way we handle business affairs and business dealings.  We can easily apply these life and faith principles to buying or selling real estate just as we can apply them to other things.   
            Fourth, we can experience the light of Easter by lingering with the stories of the cross, the resurrection and the victory that Christ won for us at Calvary.  To become “children of light,” we immerse ourselves in the grace, gifts and goodness that Christ offers to us through His life, death and resurrection.  There is an old expression that says we are what we eat.  And there is some truth to that.  A poor diet or a bad diet can easily impact our bodies and health.  We can also recognize the importance of filling our lives with good things so we are spiritually healthy and growing.  Prayer, Bible study, worship, sharing your faith, serving and gathering with other believers are clear ways that produce spiritual health and vitality.
            This past Sunday, I suggested that you might want to pray Paul’s prayer in Philippians 1:9-11 for yourself for the next forty days to see where God is at work and what God might do.  The Bible teaches that if we draw close to Him then He will draw close to us (James 4:8-10).  Recognize the light that you possess and enjoy in Christ and live in that light.  Have a great Monday!