Quick note: yesterday was another traveling day. We got great medical news, but I was still too tired to finish and post this yesterday.

John 1:1-18; 1 Chronicles 5-6; Zephaniah 2

“In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.” (John 1:4-5 NKJV)

Matthew, Mark, and Luke are all arranged in a similar, chronological order. John is different. When I read John, I get the impression of a bunch of guys sitting around a campfire where one story reminds someone of the next story, and the stories flow as they share their remembrances. This passage introduces one of the recurring themes in the book: light and darkness. Those things related to Jesus are light and life; those things related to the world are darkness. In Jesus we see light and life. He came into the world of darkness – not only of the Gentile world, but also the darkness of those who thought they were following God as Jews. The light of Jesus illuminated the dark world, but those who were accustomed to living in the dark couldn’t understand what was happening in the light, and they retreated into the comfort of the darkness they’d always known.

We see the same thing happen today. How many of us willingly turned to the light of Christ only to slip back into our old ways as life in the light became uncomfortable. Then, we began to adjust to the light and live the life that Jesus offered. In our joy, we sought to shine that same light for others to see and follow. Some embraced the light, others have been made uncomfortable by the light. When your eyes have adjusted to darkness, any introduction of light is hard to deal with. The only way to help people out of the darkness is to keep shining the light of Jesus, so show others God’s love, grace, and forgiveness each day. As we let the light of Jesus shine through us, we’ll see others begin to understand and live in the light. 

Lord, let me shine Your light into a world darkened by the stain of sin. Help me to show Your love, grace, and forgiveness to those who haven’t experienced that yet.