Month: December 2023

“Whoever is without love does not know God, for God is love.

In this way the love of God was revealed to us: God sent his only Son into the world so that we might have life through him.”

1 John 4:8-9 (NAB)

God doesn’t just have love, He is love. He gave His son a body, and sent Him to us, and then His Son gave His body up for us. Giving and sacrifice are the visible expressions of God’s love. Jesus reminded everyone of this truth at the last supper, “This is my body, which is given for you.”(Luke 22:19) 

As we think about love, we see that God’s love for us always resulted in a sacrifice. God wants us to imitate His ways, and as He gives to us, we give to others. 

In biblical history, God called many prophets, judges and deliverers, and required them to be set apart in holiness, for a particular mission. Most of those who He called and set apart, at some point failed or fell from their commitment, but later repented and returned to complete their mission. We learn from God’s example of love, that He has used many flawed people to accomplish His mission. We see it in Samson, David, and even Peter in the New Testament.

When God began His greatest plan, to send His son to us, He called and set apart a young girl for the mission. The Spirit of God was to overshadow her so that she would conceive, give birth to and raise God’s only son. 

She complied with the plan, without failing or falling away, saying, “let it be done according to your word.”

The Almighty, infinite and holy God could finally accomplish His perfect salvation plan of the ages, by Mary’s complete cooperation with Him.

Then, God, who exists outside of time or space, for the first time, entered time and space in becoming an embryo. That embryo is not an “it”, but a “who” and He was given His name by the angel at His conception. Jesus continued to grow to adulthood, making God’s love present for the world to see. 

Since God chose His son’s arrival into the world in this way, it speaks volumes about life beginning at conception.

It’s a beautiful Christmas story, God’s Word became flesh in Mary’s womb, and His son was born, but how did the world receive the infinite, incarnate son of God? 

Not very well. He was rejected and criticized by those who thought they knew more about God than Him. How ironic it is, that the living expression of God’s love, was met with suffering at the hands of those He came to save. 

In His divinity, Jesus could have called down fire from heaven, as prophets of old once did. He could have released an army of angels to come down and destroy all of His persecutors, but He chose not to. No one took His life from Him, because He laid it down for us, and He did it out of love.

Jesus showed us that love is a choice, not a feeling. He expressed His love for us through the language of sacrifice. Love always costs something, and yet we cannot buy or earn God’s love. He loves us freely, and gave us His son freely. God loves us unconditionally, even when there are no guarantees that His love will be returned. 

The Christmas story simply consists of a divinely conceived baby, who embodied the fulness of God’s love, providing an endless fountain of His mercy for a very flawed world.

Lord, the essence of what Christmas means for us leaves us speechless. Your gift to us and your sacrifice illustrates your endless love and mercy. Help us to reflect to others some portion of the love you have shown to us. Amen

“No one lights a lamp and hides it in a clay jar or puts it under a bed. Instead, they put it on a stand, so that those who come in can see the light.”

Luke 8:16 (NIV)

Such a simple analogy and yet so worthy of self examination. Is my light hidden in a clay jar or is it shining for others to see?

Jesus spoke about hiding our lamps, so I started thinking of examples of when I covered my lamp, instead of letting it shine. 

For me, waiting is a test of my patience, in so many daily scenarios. So much of life requires waiting for something. We wait for all types of applications to be approved, we wait at traffic lights and in grocery store lines, we wait for responses to our text messages or voicemails, and we wait for our lost loved ones or friends to come to the faith. 

One of my personal frustrations is to encounter a very slow store clerk, when I am really pressed for time. Nothing is more frustrating to me than when a short simple transaction takes much longer than what seems necessary. 

I had one of those days last week. I was in a hurry and the computer system went down, so I had a longer than normal wait in order to receive my receipt. The store clerk finally handed me the receipt smiling and saying thank you. I answered “thank you”, out of habit, but still feeling stressed, I didn’t smile back at her.

After I left, and throughout the day, I kept seeing that clerk’s smiling face in my mind, looking for my smile in response. I felt very guilty for not smiling at her. Although it’s only about a smile, I realized that in that brief moment, I buried my lamp under a clay jar. I felt ashamed and probably made the Lord sad too.

I think most of us would define shining our light, by doing various planned acts of kindness. For most of us, it means sharing the gospel message, giving to charities, serving in church functions, and showing kindness to the sick or needy. Those are deeds we do, in which we can choose the time and the place to do them.  

It’s the unexpected moments that are the most challenging, the things that happen when we are in a hurry, or caught off guard. Some hindrance occurs or a total stranger may come out of nowhere, who really tests our patience. How we respond and shine our light in these unexpected situations, are the tests that truly matter. 

In Matthew’s gospel, chapter 25, is the parable of the foolish virgins, where Jesus made it clear that it was up to each virgin to manage their own lamps. In the end, we essentially decide whether we will choose to shine our light, or bury it under a clay jar.

Paul reminds us as believers to be conscious of how we treat strangers. 

He said, “Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unaware.”(Hebrews 13:2)

Wow, so now on top of all these challenging situations, an angel can appear to us as a total stranger? What if that clerk in the store was an angel in disguise, to test my patience and kindness in that moment?

Whether it was an angel or not, I failed the test that day and had to ask forgiveness. With every failure, we return to the throne of grace, where Jesus is ready to forgive and cleanse us. He moves us forward by sending us back into the world, teaching us to do better next time.

We are not shining our light for self promotion, we are shining for Jesus. All of heaven is watching us and rooting for us to succeed. If we keep Paul’s warning close to our heart, knowing that we might possibly be entertaining an angel in disguise, it’s easier to make the right choice and let our light shine. 

I am going to be more intentional about my attitude with everyone, including strangers and slow store clerks. Managing our own lamps means making frequent trips to the throne of grace, because that’s what brings growth.

 Lord, help us not to be caught up in the rush or frustration of each day’s moments, but to shine our light, and  view each challenge as one that is sent from heaven for our good. Amen

“Jesus said to them, “Come, have breakfast.” And none of the disciples dared to ask him, “Who are you?” because they realized it was the Lord”

John 21:12 (NAB)

So many stories begin with an invitation. The disciples’ story began with their personal invitation from Jesus, saying “Follow me.” After the loss and sorrow they felt in witnessing His arrest and crucifixion, they received the hope of resurrection when they saw His empty tomb. In the days to follow, they were still lonely from His physical absence in their daily life, the same as anyone feels after losing a close loved one. 

One morning, as the disciples were fishing, there stood Jesus, on the shore, fully alive, cheerfully calling to them in their boat, “Come and have breakfast.” Jesus had fish and bread already cooked and ready to eat. The thrill of that moment was far beyond the chance to fill their empty stomachs, it was the joy of seeing their risen Lord, in the flesh, inviting them to Him. Jesus ate and drank with them in His resurrected body that morning and that was an invitation that they cherished for the rest of their lives.

There’s fewer things that are more exciting and memorable than to be invited to something or somewhere by a person we haven’t seen or been with for a long time. It doesn’t even matter where or what the invite is for, it’s the “who” that makes it special and exciting. 

I can only think of one example in my own life, when I received an exciting invitation, but it wasn’t from a long time friend, it was from a celebrity. 

Many years ago when I was single, I went to a comedy club to see a favorite Jewish comedian. My mother, brother and I had all been long time fans, and since Jackie Mason was in town, I went to see his show, hoping to meet him afterward. 

After the show, I went to speak to him in person. There was a crowd of people asking for his autograph and speaking to him in a corner of the comedy club, where he signed autographs and posed for pictures. 

I waited my turn to tell him that I had all his tapes and enjoyed his Jewish humor. I let him know I was not Jewish, but grew up in that environment in Chicago, and was a long time fan of his and then I asked for his autograph. 

To my shock, he invited me to join him and four other people, who were going to dinner that evening to a restaurant in Chicago, called Carmine’s. I have no idea how I, a total stranger, ever ranked to be invited to dinner with a celebrity comedian, but I accepted his invitation. He shared stories with me that evening. He told me that both his grandfather and father were rabbis, but he was the first of his family’s generation to not follow that pattern. I learned that he was a man of faith, with deep respect for his Jewish heritage, and his humor was his way of expressing it.

I felt so honored to be invited out with him, and I was impressed that he was neither conceited or haughty, but willing to invite a total stranger to dinner. I cannot remember a thing about what I ate for dinner, but will always remember the invitation and the joy of the experience.

Invitations can mean so much to us. It doesn’t have to be a celebrity, it could be any unexpected invitation, that comes at a time in our lives, that both surprises and restores our sense of worth and dignity. 

From then on, it made me think about how I treat others. Jesus invited the disciples to breakfast when they were at a low point, feeling lost and lonely without His physical presence. I think about opportunities in my life, when I can invite someone to something, because I have become more aware of how an invitation can bless someone, especially if they are at a low point in life.

I know of someone who once was at a low place in her life. She was in her early twenties, had a baby out of wedlock, and since the baby’s father was not in the picture, she was living with her mother, who had mental health issues, and had recently become separated. 

One day, after she had a disagreement with her mother, in an angry rage, her mother kicked her out of the house, along with her six month old granddaughter.  

Not knowing where to go, she was invited by her two bachelor uncles, to come live with them until she was able to live on her own. That made the difference in her life and she regained her dignity, found faith in Jesus, and eventually met and married a wonderful man. She later had a son, and today her whole family has invited Jesus to be the center of their lives. If not for the invitation she once received, her life could have gone a very different direction. 

My mother once invited my first cousin, in his early twenties, to come live in our basement apartment for a brief time. I was young, and didn’t even know why he needed a place to stay, when his parents lived in a neighboring suburb. My mother showed him kindness, and gave him a sense of dignity. Sadly, about a year after that, he died suddenly in a tragic car accident. 

We never know what impact our invitation can have on a person’s life, even if the years of their life are brief on this earth. 

Paul tells us, “Live in harmony with one another; do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly; never be conceited.” (Romans 12:16)

Nothing can top the invitation we have received from Jesus, to come to Him when we are weary, to follow and abide in Him all of our days, to live in His peace and dignity as a child of God, and then to live with Him forever in heaven. 

Lord, as we follow you, make us people of invitation and show us how we can bless others who are at a low place in their life. Amen

“Fear not, for I have redeemed you;
 I have called you by name, you are mine. When you pass through the waters I will be with you;
and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned,
and the flame shall not consume you. For I am the Lord your God,
the Holy One of Israel, your Savior.”

Isaiah 43:1-3 (RSV)

These are scriptures that console and restore us when we are going through difficult circumstances. At some point in our lives, we all have felt overwhelmed by flood waters or like we are walking through fire. Whatever we are going through, the Lord assures us with His words, 

“I will be with you”, and this truth anchors our faith. 

God speaks to us through Isaiah’s beautiful words, telling us that we belong to Him, He calls us by name and then He goes on to promise that we will not be overwhelmed by flood waters or burned by the fire, because He is with us. 

Isaiah is the prophet that foretold that a virgin would bear a son, and His name would be Immanuel, which in Hebrew means “God with us.” God came to be with us in a totally new way, through Jesus. 

Ezekiel foretold that when Messiah comes, a new thing will happen, 

“I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you.” (Ezekiel 36:26)

We become a new creation in Christ, because His Spirit dwells in each of us. Jesus is always looking to do a new thing in each of our hearts. He desires a deeper friendship with us and He walks with us in a new way, all because of His sacrifice on the cross. That’s why it’s referred to as the New Covenant in His blood. 

God inspired many stories throughout scripture, just to show us that His Presence truly goes with all those who will trust in Him. 

He revealed it through the story of the three Hebrew young men. They were cast into a fiery furnace, for refusing to worship a human king. Inside the furnace, they were not burned and their clothes were not even singed by a single flame. The best part of all, was that a fourth man appeared in the furnace with them. Whether it was Jesus or an angel in that furnace, God is showing us that He is with us, even in the worst places. 

Whatever kind of fiery furnace we may be in, we can trust that Jesus is in there with us. 

Daniel wrote his book while he and those three young men were all living in Babylonian exile. Just as God was with his three friends in the furnace, He was also with Daniel, when he was thrown into a lions den, for the same reason of refusing to worship the king. God sent an angel into that lions den with Daniel. He shut the lions’ mouths and Daniel remained unharmed. 

God is telling us through this story, that He is with us and will keep us  unharmed, in whatever lions’ den we may be in. 

The book of Daniel is considered a 2nd century Apocalyptic writing, and correlates to John’s writing in the book of Revelation. Both Daniel and John were living in exile while they wrote. They were both in exile, being punished for their faith, and yet they wrote profound predictions of end time events, inspired by God.

It’s a reminder that God might want to do His best work through us, when we are going through our most difficult period in life, while we are in our own metaphoric period of exile.

Our external conditions of our lives may change, and some questions never get answered, but there are important truths that never change and these are the truths that God wants us to know:

He wants us to not be afraid, to know that we belong to Him and that He is always with us. 

Jesus, you are the Holy one of Israel and our Savior. We belong to you and we trust that you are with us in the flood, in the fire and in our time of exile. Through your Spirit that is within us, remove all fear and strengthen our faith today. Amen

“…and be ready for the third day; for on the third day the Lord will come down on Mount Sinai in the sight of all the people.”

Exodus 19:11 (NAB)

God came down a few times in scripture, and throughout Old Testament scripture He is called the Most High. David used this name for God in many psalms he wrote. 

“thou alone, whose name is the Lord,
 art the Most High over all the earth.”

(Psalm 83:18)

The Most High God told Moses to prepare the people and He will come down after three days to give them His commandments. When God came down on that third day, Moses went up to the highest point of Mount Sinai, while the people waited at the foot of the mountain. They heard the sounds of thunder, saw a dense cloud of smoke, with flashes of lightning, all happening on the top of that holy mountain. 

On that third day, the presence of the Most High came down with many awesome and dramatic signs. This is probably where that name for God came from, commonly used in Jewish culture. 

Over 1400 years later, the Most High God came down again, only that time He came to overshadow a virgin’s womb, with His presence. 

For the first and only time, the Most High God came down to take on human flesh. Instead of coming to a holy mountain, He came to Mary’s womb instead. An angel who appeared to her, used that same name of God. He told Mary that her son “will be great and will be called Son of the Most High…” (Luke 1:32) 

When Jesus finished His mission, and died on the cross, He was lying in a tomb until the third day, when God came down again. Just as He came down to Mount Sinai on the third day, He also came down to that tomb on the third day. This time He came down with a blast of resurrection power and He raised His incarnate son from the dead.  

A day is coming, when the son of the Most High God will come down one more time, at His second coming.  No one describes this coming down event, better than Paul, as he wrote to the Thessalonians:

“For the Lord himself, with a word of command, with the voice of an archangel and with the trumpet of God, will come down from heaven, and the dead in Christ will rise first.

Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. Thus we shall always be with the Lord. Therefore, console one another with these words.”

(1 Thessalonians 4:15-18)

This is to be our consolation in all we go through in this life, we have the hope within us, when Jesus will come down once again. We wait for His second coming, when He will raise all those who died with this hope. We who are alive, will be caught up at once, to meet Him in the air.

Of all the few times that God came down to this world, and after all the glory, the drama, clouds of smoke, thunder and earthquakes, when He came down to Bethlehem, to be incarnated as a baby, it was different than all His other times. God came down in Bethlehem and appeared to the world in a quiet, discreet way, with all humility. 

On that holy night, Jesus was born to humble, unknown parents, and while angels rejoiced, most people never recognized Him as the son of the Most High. Mary’s baby embodied the fullness of divine love, grace and mercy. He grew up as a man who expressed the unlimited mercy of His Father in heaven, in everything He said and did. Jesus revealed the great worth of our souls from the perspective of a Most High God. He did it through His birth all the way to to His resurrection, and He did it all for us. 

Lord, we praise and glorify you, the Son of the Most High God. Thank you for coming so far down to lift us up, and doing it in the fulness of humility. Help us all to rise up ever closer to you, with joy over the gift of our salvation. Amen

“I know that my redeemer lives,
and that in the end he will stand on the earth.”

Job 19:25 (NIV)

After going to a neighborhood concert alone, as I was walking back to the public garage, I noticed that all the people walking to that same garage, were couples. For a brief moment I felt a little strange being the only one, walking alone. 

In my mind, I said to Jesus, “I know you’re with me, even though I can’t see you, and I also know that you’re all the man I need in my life, but at times like this, it would be nice to have a man walking beside me.” 

I then felt that Jesus answered me through a thought, saying,

“I am walking beside you.” 

I realized that my desire for someone to walk beside me at that moment, was more for external appearances, rather than my true need. I started thinking about the invisible blessings that God gives us, which exceed the visible ones. 

All good things are not limited to what we can see with our eyes. There are many benefits and blessings given to us who believe, which are not visible to us in this life.

Peace is not something we see with our eyes, and its effects are rarely evident throughout the world today, yet each of us who believes and trusts in God, can have His peace within us. Peace may not be something we can touch, but we can definitely know it and feel its effect. In the eye of our storm, we have peace because it comes through a person, Jesus.

Faith, love, hope and joy, are not tangible things that we can see with our eyes, yet they are very real, but invisible effects of the fruits of God’s Spirit dwelling in us. 

We each have a personal guardian angel, who has been with us since birth, constantly looking out for our safety and our salvation. Although we don’t see our angel, it is another invisible blessing sent by God to benefit us during our entire lifetime.

We experience the benefits of these invisible gifts and many more, which makes a huge difference in how we cope with all situations of life, that test our faith. If we make a habit of depending only on what we can see around us, we will become discouraged. Our true and lasting happiness in this life depends on trusting in the many invisible benefits that we receive every day. 

When Job lost his entire family, all his crops, his livestock and everything he owned in one day, his response was, “I know that my Redeemer lives, and at last he will stand upon the earth.” 

Job never visibly saw God, but he found his consolation in his invisible God, calling Him “my Redeemer.”

Even after he lost every visible thing this life can offer, his faith and hope was grounded in the One he couldn’t see, but knew as his Redeemer. 

There is a kind of knowing that transcends the intellect. It doesn’t require a degree or an education. No one else can persuade or convince us, because it’s a revelation of grace and a blessed assurance that resides within us. It is possible through Jesus, for us to know and say with the fortitude and conviction of Job,

“I know that my Redeemer lives.”

Jesus told us, “Whoever loves me will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our dwelling with him.”

(John 14:23)

Note that Jesus promised that “we”, not He, will dwell in us. That’s how Jesus works, as a Trinity, a team with His Father and the Holy Spirit. 

We believe that God is a Trinity, even though the word “Trinity” doesn’t exist anywhere in the entire Bible. We believe it because it’s one of many invisible truths of the faith, founded by Jesus, passed on through the ages, and evidenced by hints of what He said in the gospels.

The more we learn of His benefits and His attributes, the more beautiful our invisible God becomes. 

Lord, make us all aware today that we are blessed with so many invisible benefits of faith in you. Thank you for walking beside us, and we worship you, knowing that our Redeemer lives forever. Amen

“Martha, burdened with much serving, came to him and said, “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me by myself to do the serving? Tell her to help me.”

The Lord said to her in reply, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and worried about many things.

There is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part and it will not be taken from her.”

Luke 10:40-42 (NAB)

There has always been debate and different opinions in interpreting this gospel story of these two sisters. Some say both were right, Martha was actively serving Jesus, Mary was sitting at His feet, adoring Him, and both are necessary. 

Another interpretation that I’ve heard is that it’s about the sisters’ different attitudes. Martha was serving Jesus, but over burdened and stressed out. Mary abandoned all other things in order to spend time sitting peacefully before the Lord, listening to Him in adoration and worship. 

Sone interpret this story to mean that our labors mean nothing. Instead of taking one scripture out of one gospel and forming an opinion, we look at all of the gospels, and see what can be learned from the bigger picture. 

When Jesus told Martha she is too anxious about many things, He wasn’t saying that service and labor are not as meaningful as worship. In fact, He told us that there is a great need for more laborers in His Father’s harvest. (Matthew 9:38)

The key to understanding these two sisters is to understand which one’s behavior comes first. 

Our personal time in adoration of Jesus comes before our service and labor for Him. 

This is a very busy time of year, and  everyone feels a bit of Martha’s anxiety. We were all meant to do both; to serve God and to worship Him. Jesus said Mary chose the better choice, maybe because one has to precede the other. In being more like Mary, spending time alone with Jesus, we also become better servants, by doing so without the anxiety that Martha worked under. 

One of my favorite lay speakers once said:

“Lord, help us to be more like Mary so that we don’t have to work like Martha.” (Chris Stefanik)

He didn’t mean that we shouldn’t work at all, but that there is a proper order to follow, in order to work with fulness of joy, and not with the anxiety that Martha had. 

Adoring Jesus first, prepares us to serve Him, and not vice versa. I’ve found that if I spend time with Him first each day, then my labor is done with joy, not anxiety. 

Martha thought Mary was completely wasting her time, sitting at Jesus’ feet, while she was doing all the work. Martha finally complained, asking Jesus to tell Mary to help her. The difference between the sisters is that Martha wanted Jesus to talk to someone else, but Mary wanted Jesus to talk to her. Jesus saw Martha’s anxiety and told her that Mary has chosen the better part, which will not be taken from her. 

That was an interesting way to end the sentence, saying that the better part will not be taken away from her. Maybe Jesus was warning Martha that we can lose ourselves in our labors, even when our labors are for Him. Hospitality and serving Jesus is valuable, but we need Mary’s hunger to have Him talk to us. It is one of the treasures that last eternally and cannot be taken from us. Spending time with Him in prayer and worship will never be a waste of time, because it prepares us for eternity. 

Lord, help us to follow Mary in choosing to first spend time with you, so that we may serve you without anxiety. Bless our quiet time with you as well as our labors, which are all for your honor and glory. Amen 

“Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us.”

Ephesians 3:20 (NASB)

One year I ordered custom tree ornaments as gifts, which had the above scripture verse printed on them. It’s the most hopeful phrase in the Bible, “beyond what we ask or think…” it’s a phrase packed with hope, reminding us that God can and  will always exceed our expectations.

I can see how God is doing this in my own life, but it’s also inspiring to remember all the stories in scripture where God went beyond what anyone thought or asked for. We should not be surprised that He still does it today because He is the same God. 

He went beyond what the Israelites thought or asked for, when He parted the sea for them to walk through. He went beyond what Joshua thought or asked for, when He made the walls of Jericho crumble into the earth. He went beyond what Mary and Martha ever thought or asked for, when Jesus called their deceased brother back to life, right out of his tomb. 

God’s greatest example of doing beyond what we could ever think or ask for, was when He took on human flesh. Jesus not only chose to live among all kinds of people, revealing God’s love for them, but He also offered Himself for all, as the sacrificial Lamb of God. No one could imagine such a free gift or the magnitude of such love. Many people still don’t believe it, since it’s not what anyone would ever think or expect. 

I received an unexpected gift when I visited my son in the Nursing Facility last Friday. As I met his nursing assistant, Al, in the hallway, he cheerfully told me that as he was shaving Jon, he spoke and said to Al, “Don’t shave me.” 

What? I could hardly believe that he talked, much less, said something that even made logical sense after being unresponsive for over two months. After a depressed skull fracture, which seriously injured his brain’s speech area, how could he speak? It is beyond what I ever thought could happen. 

I asked Jon a few questions, and he moved his mouth, saying words, but spoke so softly, that I couldn’t understand what he said. Still, the fact that he is attempting to speak, and that Al heard him speak clearly, is encouraging. He also has a strong left arm that pushes anyone away who tries to do anything for him.

So, some progress has been made in trying to speak. He moves 3 out of 4 very strong limbs. He is grouchy and uncooperative, but it’s still better than being comatose and unresponsive.

We all have different levels of faith, while we try to believe God to move the mountains in our lives. Sometimes when we are unable to gather enough faith to believe, God, in His mercy, just steps in and makes things happen. 

I believe God wants to show us that whatever we think or ask for, He is going to surpass it, far beyond our expectations. We may be at a turning point in our faith, and God is ready to step in and do something that we haven’t thought of, or even asked for. That’s how God works. 

He is the same God today, and He can part any sea and crumble every wall. He will still speak life to people, calling them out of a tomb, to live the rest of their life with resurrection power.

Lord, I pray that you inspire each reader today, to know that you have much more for us than we have ever thought or asked for. We thank you for all you’ve done and continue to do in our lives. Amen

“Even darkness is not dark to You,
And the night is as bright as the day.
Darkness and light are alike to You.

Psalm 139:12 (NASB)

God has always been the light of the world, but it was through His Son, born as an infant, to live as a man among us, who brought the light of God to the whole world. He opened the door for all of us to have access to God, the Father. Before that, our sin was a barrier between us and God. All who receive His atonement and abide in Him, are walking in His light. It may seem at times in our lives, that we are in darkness, but His light is always with us and in us.

For God, the darkness and light are alike to Him. He created the sun and moon for our sake. In heaven there is no need for sun or moon, because Heaven is always brightly lit from the illuminating presence of God. (Revelation 21:23)

We hear so much about Jesus being the light of the world, but I think it’s easy to roll right past that phrase and miss a deeper meaning that God is trying to reveal. 

If we are trusting in Jesus, He brings us into His light, and we no longer dwell in darkness. Dwelling in darkness means not knowing which way to turn. It means trying to navigate which way to go, like searching for the door in a dark room. Jesus said “I am the way,” and He also said “I am the door.” 

When we feel we are in a dark place, He is our door and shows us the way, as He readily holds our hand. 

Today, I am thinking of when He said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” 

(John 8:12)

Jesus said whoever follows Him will have the gift of walking in His light. Since He is the light, He lights up our dark paths and navigates for us. He holds our hand and walks us through the door and His light brings us warmth and comfort, even in the worst situations. Our access to all these benefits comes through the blood of His cross. He was sent as God’s gift to us, and a gift is ours when it is received.

In 2006 I was working in a hospital, with a group of neurosurgeons, a team of four brilliant, honest and good men. I had been in my eighth year of working with them in surgery, at the time. I remember I had a 

“Coworker prayer list of names”, and I used to pray regularly for these surgeons, as well as any doctors and coworkers who were a part of my daily work routine. 

Every year there was a neurosurgical resident who did his residency under the instruction and supervision of this team of surgeons. I vaguely remember the young residents, since they all came and went over a period of months, but I do know that they all learned from the best.

In September of this year, I received the news that my adult son was in a serious motorcycle accident on a highway, in the suburb he lived in.

He suffered a skull fracture on the left side, with bleeding on both sides of his brain. The neurosurgeon on call for the hospital that day, carefully removed the blood as well as the bone that was embedded in the left side of Jon’s brain. 

This all took place in a hospital 20 miles away, where the accident occurred. The surgeon on call who did his surgery was the same man who did his residency in 2006, at my hospital, who learned from the surgeon team that I knew and worked with. Seventeen years later, that resident was now a surgeon who practiced in his own group, but he was the only one in his group, who trained under the surgeons I worked with for 25 years. 

I don’t think it was a coincidence that he was the one on call that day. In the middle of such traumatic events, God was shining His light in the darkness, through the timing of having that surgeon on call for that hospital, that day. After surgery, he told me that he was surprised Jon did as well as he did. He didn’t expect much, since upon arrival, it didn’t look like Jon would make it through surgery. 

The light overpowers the darkness, and whatever we do to abide in God’s light, will come back to shine for us according to God’s perfect timing. For God, there is no darkness, and if we keep following Him, we’ll discover that He has been shining His light on us, even during those times that seem very dark. 

Jon woke up from a coma two weeks later, his pupils are reactive, and he moves 3 out of 4 limbs. He is currently awake but not responsive, and living in a nursing facility twenty minutes from my home, with a long road for recovery. It’s not a dark road though, because Jesus has been shining His light of hope and faith in everything from the start. 

In whatever kind of darkness we feel we are in, the light of Jesus is shining. If we keep investing our hope and trust in Him, we will reap the benefit of His light shining for us just when we need it most. For God there is no darkness, only light, and when we follow Jesus, we will never walk in darkness, but have His light shining in our life. 

Lord, help us all to follow you, and to know that your light is shining on us. We thank you and put all our trust in you, the light of the world, who has opened the door of our access to God, through the blood of your cross. Amen