Good morning,
I will be having cataract surgery on the 10th and 17th of February. I asked some of my friends to do the Daily Devotions for the next two weeks.
I appreciate your willingness to help me. You were chosen because you have played an important part in my growth, knowledge of God’s word, encouragement, or faithfulness in service over the 38 years I have been in Alaska. Please continue to minister and help others.
Enjoy!
Light
The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light: they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined. – Isaiah 9:2
This time of year brings a flood of light to Alaska. It’s still February, but I always look forward to March because there is so much sunlight gained after a dark winter. Thinking of that, I spoke with a friend who asked rather matter-of-factly, “We never think much about light. What is it?”
Christians know the prophet Isaiah spoke of Jesus, the great light that showed all mankind the way of life. But my friend was thinking about the literal light that comes from the sun, or the moon, or a ceiling fixture. What is it?
Scientists say it is a segment of the spectrum of electromagnetic radiation that can be perceived by organic beings. That may work for scientists, but it isn’t what most of us think of when we hear the word. Common folk probably think the definition from Webster’s Dictionary says it well: light is “something that makes vision possible.”
I like that. It’s clear: no light means no vision. In darkness we are blind to both the blessings and evils that surround us. We can neither perceive nor understand the reality in which we live.
I should pause here to acknowledge that those who have no eyesight would differ that they cannot perceive reality around them. That’s not what I’m saying; of course they can! But they see only through efforts which those of us with “normal” eyesight regard as rather extraordinary. Sometimes they see reality more clearly than the rest, but given the option, everyone seeks to see more clearly.
So back to my point: if we have no light, we have darkness, and in darkness we live in peril and fear. This is true in both the material and spiritual sense. In the material world, when we dwell in darkness, we are at a terrible disadvantage and nothing we do is as easy or safe as when we do it in the light. Living in darkness, we can perceive neither the blessings nor dangers around us. When we live in material darkness, one of our first desires is to get some light to dispel the dark. We want to live in light. The light makes our lives better. But often we settle for just enough light to get by. After all, a single candle lights a room, and sometimes that’s enough.
Is it enough, though? We allow “a little” Jesus much the same way we might settle for a single candle in a dark room. That single candle makes a BIG difference. That’s Jesus. But Jesus doesn’t call us to settle for a little light. Isaiah prophesied that we would live in a “Great Light.” When we follow Jesus closely, we see his Light more. In that Great Light, we will see things about our lives that we might wish could stay hidden in the dark. But the Great Light did not come to shame us, but to illuminate our lives so we see reality – material and spiritual – in all God’s glory.
When we walk in God’s Light, we see ourselves and the world as it truly is: broken and fallen, yet redeemed and restored. Only with God’s Light are we able to see the Way, the Truth, and the Life. When we walk in Jesus’ light, we see fully. Let’s pray to see the world in God’s Light, through Jesus’ eyes.
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
Chuck Foster, CEO Wasilla Area Seniors, Inc
Leave a Reply