Marie’s daily verse: Matthew 6:14: For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will forgive yours.

DAILY DEVOTION, January 4, 2024

“I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness but will have the light of life” (John 8:12).

This verse has been the subject of many sermons. The image of light is used to declare the deity of Jesus. We read in 1 John 1:5 that God is light. Jesus, the Son of God, is also light. Like Father, like Son, we say. When we think of light, several functions come to mind. Light reveals, light guides, and light dispels darkness. When Jesus enters our lives, He reveals our sinfulness and also the forgiveness He has provided. He guides us so we begin to live in the light of His truth. We live in a world with much darkness, but the light of Jesus dispels that darkness.

Jesus made a rather startling statement in the Sermon on the Mount.  Not only is He the light of the world, He said of those who believe in Him, you are the light of the world, also (Matthew 5:14). Perhaps the best way to understand this is to think of the sun and the moon. The moon brings light to the Earth, but it has no light within itself. Moonlight is light reflected from the sun. Unless the sun shines on the moon, it is a dark hunk of rock! We cannot function as lights to the world apart from the light of Jesus.  Apart from Jesus, we are spiritually dead, living in darkness. When He enters our lives by faith, His light shines forth from us. Just as the moonlight is puny in comparison to the light of the sun, so the light of God that shines from us is small compared to Jesus, the light of the world.

Lord Jesus, thank You for Your light shining in my heart and dispelling the darkness. Often the darkness of doubt, despair, and discouragement can overwhelm me. Lead me in the radiant light of Your love. Thank You for lighting up my life; in Your name, I pray, Amen.

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