In Him was life, and the life was the Light of me.
John 1:4 (ESV)
Today's Passage – John 1:1-18 (ESV)
When we are introduced to Jesus, we often respond because of his offer of complete forgiveness. Once forgiven, we want to live a life that honors him. But for a while it usually stays focused on our own little story – trying to be moral and good as we trust him for a full life – with a happy ending in heaven one day.
Jesus did bring forgiveness, but more than that – Jesus came to restore us to life. And that restoration is described as light. A triumph of light over darkness. Wiith Jesus’ life in us, our lives are filled with his light! Ephesians 5:8 tells us we “were formerly darkness, but now (we) are light in the Lord ; walk as children of light.
Because Jesus came into our world, we can be restored to the life of God. We are, as a new creation, his ambassadors of life and light in a world of spiritual death and darkness.
We’re in settings all the time where many around us probably don’t have a personal relationship with Jesus. What does it look like to be a light in those situations? Sometimes, it’s just doing a simple thing, like greeting people by name, or serving them all in a way that is unexpected and not really your responsibility. Sometimes it's just listening well to others. It doesn’t always have to be a big moment, or awesome words. Often it's just the little things, done daily, that are light in the midst of a dark world.
Author Nancy Leigh DeMoss speaks of three responses we can have to the darkness in today’s world:
How do you tend to respond? Are there certain situations where you have more trouble being a light? If so, identify why that may be true, pray for wisdom, and ask God and others to help you see that change.
Jane Armstrong | Oxford, OH
Jane has been helping women discover and live out fully the purposes God has for them for over 40 years.
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