Light for Our Present and Our Future

The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in the land of the shadow of death, upon them a light has shined. Isaiah 9:2 NKJV

I got home late one night. The porch light was off. As I fumbled for the keyhole I dropped my keys. I felt around until I found them, and then tried to get the right key into the lock. Suddenly the light came on, illuminating the area and making my destination clear. My husband opened the door and welcomed me home.

I think of how I fumble when I try to live in my own power. I received Jesus as a young child, but there have been periods when I lived for myself more than I did for God. Instead of walking in the light of Jesus, I let my fear of others opinions darken my view so that I fumbled on my path.

In high school a popular girl wanted to copy my math homework. I let her. I knew it was cheating, but I thought maybe if she liked me I would be accepted instead of teased. Another girl, Jennie, refused to allow her homework to be copied. I watched her. Jennie was popular, but she did not bow to others opinions. She stood for Jesus. God used Jennie to shine Jesus’ light on what I was doing and to help me see that it was God’s opinion that mattered, not what others thought of me. Years later I saw Jennie at a reunion and I told her of the difference she made. She didn’t even know I was watching or that she had made an impact.

We are spiritually lost without Jesus, living in the darkness of death caused by sin. But God, in His great love for us, made a way for us to be rescued from the darkness. He sent Jesus to be our Savior.

Jesus lights our way. He is the light in the darkness. He is everything we need.

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God…. In Him was life, and the life was the Light of mankind. And the Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not grasp it…. [This] was the true Light that, coming into the world, enlightens every person. He was in the world, and the world came into being through Him, and [yet] the world did not know Him. He came to His own, and His own people did not accept Him. But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name. John 1: 1:1-2, 4-5, 9-12 (NASB20)

When we believe in Jesus’ name, we become children of God. He rescues us from the punishment and slavery of sin. His Holy Spirit lives within the believer to help us live for God. He lights our path. The Holy Spirit will convict us of sin, righteousness, and judgment. He will guide us into all truth (John 16:7–13). In the homework situation I mentioned, the Holy Spirit convicted me of my sin, showed my Jennie’s righteous way of handling the situation, and guided me to change my ways. The Light shined in my darkness and brought me back to following Him more faithfully as I seek to please Him and not others.

We have the Light of Jesus for our daily lives and also for our eternal future.

If we believe in Jesus, we will live eternally. We may meet Jesus in the air when He returns for the Church, or our bodies may die and our spirits join Him in heaven until the day He gives us resurrected bodies. Either way, we are secure in Christ. We are God’s children. He opens the door and welcomes us home.

Let’s prayerfully consider:

• Am I in the Light? Do I believe in Jesus. Am I God’s child? If not, please make that decision to believe in Him today.
• Am I walking in the Light, or chasing the darkness?
• Am I compromising?
• Seek God’s forgiveness, and the forgiveness of others where needed.
• How is God a light in my life?
• How do I rest in the secure assurance of being a child of God?

Please share with me how God illuminates your life. What is your experience?

Dear Lord Thank you for loving me. Thank you for being everything I need. Thank you for sending Jesus to earth to be my Light in the darkness. Thank you for Your Holy Spirit who lives within me. Please forgive me of my compromising and chasing the darkness. Help me walk every day and every hour in Your Light. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

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Scriptures marked NKJV are taken from the NEW KING JAMES VERSION (NKJV): Scripture taken from the NEW KING JAMES VERSION®. Copyright© 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

“John 1 (NASB20) – In the beginning was the.” Blue Letter Bible. Accessed 20 Dec, 2023. https://www.blueletterbible.org/nasb20/jhn/1/1-13/s_998001

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