“Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, ‘I am the light of the world: he that followeth Me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life’” (John 8:12). I have been on a few trials in the woods at night. One of the most important questions is, “Who has the light?” My cousin and I have made many trips through the woods in the dark of night. I always find it very comforting to be behind him when he has the light as we walk through the woods. He is always very thoughtful. If he crosses over a hole in the ground that I might fall into, he always keeps the light on that hole until I have crossed over it. He also knows the importance of that light to me who am following.
In much the same way, if you have trusted Jesus Christ as your personal Savior, God has placed the Light for the world inside you. Did you catch the last phrase in that verse? “… but shall have the light of life.” When you trust Christ as your Savior, God places that “Light” for life inside you. That means that there will be people following you that are dependent upon you to show them the holes they could fall into without your Light. In order for you to do this, there are some important things at work.
First, you must have the Light yourself before you can show it to others, or for others. Yes, you must first have received Jesus Christ for your own payment for sin. This is more than knowing His name, or some facts about Him that might win a trivia game. This means knowing Him intimately. Before you can lead someone to salvation in Jesus Christ, He must first be your own personal Savior. One of the greatest thrills in my life today is the opportunity to tell someone else what I know of the way to Heaven, and a right relationship with God.
Second, after you have received Jesus (the Light) for yourself, you need to allow Him to rule your decisions and your life. There have been times when my cousin and I set out on one of our trips in the dark woods, and he will turn and say, “I should have charged my batteries earlier.” The Christian life is a time of continual “battery charging!” This devotional today is meant to encourage you to run to the Bible yourself to allow God to speak to you through His Word every day. If we do not spend time with God alone in prayer, Bible reading, and confession of sins, we will never experience the relationship like God intended us to enjoy.
You are carrying the Light today. Charge up your batteries and get out there and help someone who is in the darkness see the Light today!