Devos- Pinedale Christian Church

Tuesday
Jun 7th, 2022

By: Matthew Sink

The Gospel of John-Day 2

John 1:1-5 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

Light and darkness. Those two words form one of the Bible’s favorite contrasts. The world is dark. The human heart is dark. Our path is dark. The entire earth is the “doman in darkness.” But through God, there is light. God’s Word is light. Jesus is the light of the world. If He is in you, you are a child of the light. Over 100 different Scripture verses explore this contrast.

Often, when I preach about light and darkness, I preach from the platform of Matthew 5, where Jesus told His followers, “YOU are the light of the world.” We stop to remember the importance of Christ-followers in a dark world, and we encourage one another to let that light shine before all people. I love those verses, and I love to teach them, but sometimes we fail to connect Matthew 5 with John 1.

You see, our light is not our light. We are not light. John reminds us in 1 John “that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all” (1 John 1:5). God IS light. He is the source of light. It flows from Him. I am not a source of light, and neither are you. We are relay stations. God is light. Jesus is light. If Christ is in you (through the Holy Spirit), then light lives in you, and as you live for Him in front of others, it flows out of you as well.

Maybe the best way to think about it is to think about a light bulb. When I buy a light bulb at the store, it has everything it needs to give off light. A good bulb can light an entire room, or maybe even an entire parking lot! It can make people feel safe; it can make people feel exposed; it can reveal the reality of what is really true. But that bulb has no light of its own. It must be connected to a power source. So it is with us. Through the power of the Holy Spirit, we light up this dark world. Jesus IS light.

The implications are obvious. Today, if I want to shine, I need to stay connected to Jesus. When Moses was in His presence, his face shone for days. I’m starting today in His presence, and I want to walk with Him each minute, and my prayer is that I will shine, too ... and the darkness will not overcome that light