"The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it."— John 1:5 (NIV)
The Word of God is an amazing thing, it truly is "living and active" as we are told in Hebrews 4:12. I find that the more time I spend in Scripture, the more that God reveals to me. Sometimes the "revelations" are very simple, such as the one I had recently regarding the relationship between light and darkness.
This week as I read the words in John 1:5, a thought came to me that I hadn't really considered before. As I was thinking about the mechanics of light and darkness, it occurred to me that while light can basically demolish darkness - even a small amount of light dispels it - the darkness cannot, in and of itself, demolish light. Think of a street light that comes on at dusk. As the sun goes down, and darkness settles in, the streetlight isn't extinguished. In fact, the darker it gets, the brighter its light appears to be! So, the light conquers the darkness; yet, darkness has no real power to conquer the light! Some versions of John 1:5 say, "...the darkness cannot overcome it." What a powerful truth!
With this thought in mind, It makes even more sense that Jesus refers to Himself as the light of the world in John 8:12. Not only does He bring light to a dark and sinful world, but He also brings the ultimate victory over sin and death. Darkness cannot defeat light!
In Matthew 5:14, Jesus tells His followers that they(we) are the light of the world. Those who follow Christ must carry the light by sharing the Gospel. Darkness cannot extinguish light, but if we, as the light, refuse to share His message or to live the life He calls us to, we are essentially contributing to the darkness around us. Jesus calls us to "good deeds" - specifically those that will cause others to praise Him. In other words, the light we shine must always be about Him and not ourselves. The light that we shine is truly a reflection of His glory and truth and not our own (self)righteousness.
What ways can you shine light into our dark world today? There is no shortage of darkness it seems, but it only takes a small amount of light to diffuse any power that darkness holds. A kind gesture done in Jesus' name, a word of encouragement, or lifting up others in prayer. This is the light that will continue to break up the darkness and help others to walk in the light while praising the One who is the Light. Let's dedicate this day to shining His light in a real, intentional way.
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