Can You See the Light?

May 02, 2011 Monday Message:

Jesus: “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.” John 8:12

What would our world be without light? We’d be cold. We couldn’t go outdoors, and we wouldn’t want to. We couldn’t see anything. Life as we know it would not exist.

But WITH light, we’re warm and we can see things. Sometimes people get depressed during the winter when there isn’t enough light. But even just one bright, sunshiny day can lift everyone’s spirits, and the darkness is soon forgotten. God put the sun in the sky, and we count on each day’s rotation of the earth to bring us daybreak at the proper time. That’s fine for the light in the sky — but what about the Light of the World, Jesus?

In Psalm 27:1a, David says, “The LORD is my light and my salvation.” So it’s certainly good to want to have God shine into our lives. Let’s look at what might be wrong if we’re having difficulty seeing the light.

First, we may have turned away from the light. Perhaps something else caught our attention, and we followed it instead. Just as each afternoon the earth turns away from the sun, so too can we turn away from the light of the world. But just as each morning the earth seeks out daylight, when we sense darkness in our lives we too need to return to the light.

Next, something might have come between the light and us, like an eclipse. It could be a family member, a job, a hobby or something else altogether. Has it ever seemed like when you try to focus on Jesus, something gets in the way? Remove it. We all need a clear view of the light.

Finally, you might have your eyes closed! I know, it’s hard to believe, but the Bible is full of people who appeared to look right at Jesus but apparently didn’t see or understand. Let’s keep our eyes, our minds and our hearts wide open so that we can see the light.

In each of the above scenarios, notice that the light never stopped shining. The problem was never with the light — the problem is with our visualization of the light. Each day, make a commitment to face the light, open both eyes, and let nothing come between you and the light of the world.

Remember, “The Lord is God, shining upon us.” Psalms 118:27a

Norton Lawellin