Good morning,
The light shines in the darkness!
Now that the days are much shorter and the nights are much longer and Christmas and New Years are just around the corner, many of us are doing our best to light up our homes and cities with lights to make life more enjoyable. We do our best, but artificial lights can only help us a little in dealing with the bigness of the darkness around us. The Bible is the only reliable source of information that will lead us to a life full of light no matter what is happening around us. When Jesus was living with us here on earth he told us, "I am the light of the world. If you follow me, you won't have to walk in darkness, because you will have the light that leads to life.”(Jn.8:12) The light we all long for but only a few ever discover, is not found in things or circumstances. Instead genuine light flows from a Person and a relationship that has always existed outside of our time. The Apostle John tells us that, We proclaim to you the one who existed from the beginning, whom we have heard and seen. We saw him with our own eyes and touched him with our own hands. He is the Word of life.(1Jn.1:1) John had the honor of knowing and living with Jesus here on earth. Vast numbers of people saw Jesus, but saw him only as a man. John also tells us that, In the beginning the Word already existed. The Word was with God, and the Word was God. He existed in the beginning with God. God created everything through him, and nothing was created except through him.(Jn.1:1-3) Jesus was the one who created our earth and filled it with life. But Jesus did far more than that. The Word gave life to everything that was created, and his life brought light to everyone.(v.4) Sadly, foolish people discovered that they could choose the darkness of evil. The good news is, The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness can never extinguish it.(v.5)
No matter how difficult the world around us, and the challenges of being sinners in a sin filled world as well, those of us who have come to know Jesus as our Savior and Lord are in a wonderful position to live with and in the light that has always been in eternity past and will go on through eternity forever. John also tells us, But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God. (Jn.1:12) Jesus promises his children, But if we are living in the light, as God is in the light, then we have fellowship with each other, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, cleanses us from all sin.(1Jn.1:7) The light that Jesus leads us to is a life of knowing a Savior that we can trust at all times and under all circumstances. Our Savior and Lord is fulfilling his finished plans for each of us here on earth. The God who gives us light and life also gives us his pure and holy love that will go on for us for all eternity. The love that Jesus gives us is not just a love for him. Again John tells us, Dear friends, since God loved us that much, we surely ought to love each other.(1Jn.4:11) You see when God gives us his light and love, he also gives us a family who will love us and a whole lot of ungodly people around us who are looking for some genuine love. The Lord longs for us to keep reminding ourselves that it is His Love that is The light shining in the darkness, and the darkness can never extinguish it. Dear Lord, please help us to be living out your loving light and your control as we go through these challenging times.
John 1:5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness can never extinguish it.
Roy Wisner
You can also view the Monday Minutes at http://ngumondayminute.blogspot.com/
