Jesus Said, "I Am the Light of the World"

Photo of Light

Navigating in the dark is scary. Darkness fills my house at night. Walking to my bedroom after dousing the light requires me to stretch out my hands and feel my way so that I don’t hit the wall. My doorway is especially tricky. I have an alcove when I enter that I must maneuver past to reach the bathroom where the light switch resides.

The same way our physical eyes need light to see, our spiritual eyes need light to save us from walking in darkness. We need the light of Jesus. John 8:12 says, “Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, ‘I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life’” (NKJV). * Jesus lights the whole world. Those who follow Him have His light in their lives rather than darkness.

What can we know about this light of Christ?

Light Overcomes Darkness

John 1:4-5 says, “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.” When we switch on the light of Christ into our lives, we experience abundant life on earth and into eternity. Satan works to keep us caught in a cycle of sin and shame. Jesus shines truth into our hearts so we can reroute from the way that leads to destruction. We can follow the road that leads to life, confident in the one who brightens the path. We live our lives differently when walking in the Lord’s light.

Walking in the Light Leads to Fellowship with the Father

God is pure and clean. First John 1:5 says, “This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all.” While our sunsets may have subtle grays that deepen as night overtakes the sky, God sees in black and white. Either we are obedient and walk with God or disobedient and lost in darkness.

Maybe we don’t realize we are in the dark. God looks at our hearts and sees through the lies we tell ourselves about our actions. We may think our footsteps remain firm in the truth. Instead, sin hides inside the stories we tell ourselves. We paint our actions as noble when in reality pride drives us deeper into disobedience than we care to admit. First John 1:6 says, “If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth.” The way we live our daily lives will show whether we are in the light or not. 

The good news is that we don’t have to stay stuck in darkness. We can choose to be obedient and gain the benefits of living in Christ. First John 1:7 says, “But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.” The spiritual light of God can turn our black stained hearts into pure white with the scrubbing power of the perfect blood of Jesus. Even if we have sinned and walked away from God, when we confess our sins, He forgives us (1 John 1:9). Then we can return to bask in the light of His love for us, which we are then to shine on others by displaying Jesus’ love (1 John 2:9-11). Every time we smile at someone on the street, listen to a hurting friend, or give water to a thirsty person is a time we share the light of the Lord.   

Light Directs Our Decisions

One thing we can do to walk in the light is spend time in God’s Word. When we read the Bible and ask the Holy Spirit to illuminate Scripture to us, He sheds light on the decisions we face. Once I was praying for direction. I had a firm job offer for a teaching position and also had applied to do event planning. I felt God nudge me to read the book of James. I wanted to focus on a few verses on wisdom, but God said to read the whole book. James only had five chapters.

I had already read some verses about wisdom when I came across words that leapt off the page. James 3:1 says, “My brethren, let not many of you become teachers, knowing that we shall receive a stricter judgment.” Even though the verse was not in context (which is how I usually read the Bible), I knew not to take the teaching job. Human logic would say to take the firm offer. Instead, I let it go and waited to hear from the event planning people. My time reading the whole book instead of a few verses gave me direction for my life. Because spiritual truths lit my way, when the event planning position was offered to me, I took it right away.

I am so thankful Jesus came as the light of the world. The same way that I need to turn towards Christ to live in His love, I need to turn on a light at the other end of the house before heading off to bed. When that light shines into the darkness, the darkness disappears. The rays drown out the black and illuminate the way. May we all walk in the light of Jesus today.

• Is there anything you need to do to walk in the light? Do any issues try to keep you stuck in darkness? Ask God to help you walk in the light and receive His strength to do so.
• What are some ways you can share the light of Jesus with the people around you?
• When was a time you used Scriptures to make a decision?

*All Scriptures are in NKJV.