ARTIFICIAL LIGHT

John 8:12 "When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, "I am the light of the world.  Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life."

People turn to all kinds of things to escape from their lives.  There is a darkness overshadowing so many people on this earth, such a state of mind that they cannot bear what they see.  Most of them cannot see where they have put themselves trying to escape the darkness, they cannot see that they have really gone further into the murky deep trying to escape that very thing.  They turn to drugs, alcohol, perversions of all sorts, thinking that they can cover up, erase the darkness in their lives, but it is not to be.  Any kind of fun for the moment, live while you can, just hide and seek games, but it all is momentary, not lasting; so then they have to find something else, and something else, it goes on and on.  I have seen people shop and shop and spend and spend trying to make themselves happy, only to find that they could not afford what they bought and are more miserable than before. But for a little while, they brought artificial light to their world to hide the darkness of despair.

There is only One whose Light is everlasting.  Jesus is the only Light that the darkness cannot overcome.  Darkness is erased when Jesus comes on the scene.  His Light pushes the darkness out and as long as His Light is there, darkness cannot return.  The one true Light of this world is Jesus and He calls out to all to come to the Light, to live in the Light, to walk in the Light.  How will they see the Light unless it is shown to them.  Now, I know a lot of folks know that Jesus is the Light and they run from that Light as they do not want all of their sins to be seen.....sounds a little foolish, doesn't it.  To run from the Light of the One that knows everything about you, to run from the only Light that can bring you out of darkness; but they run, none the less.  Funny thing about sin....it exists as long as you run.  When you stop running and surrender to the Lord, the sin is gone from your life.  As soon as you repent of the sin, it is gone; and if you follow in the Light, it will not return.

To some people, we may be the only source to show the Light that they know.  It is so important that we not hide that Light in our lives but let it shine so brightly that all the world can see that Jesus is the Light of our lives.  Show all that Jesus is our Morning Star, our Guiding Light, our Prince of Peace.  Let all see Jesus living in us and through us. 

It is time that the Light of the world be allowed room in all lives, in all hearts.  In the hearts of those who so desperately need the salvation of Jesus, the love of our Savior, and the Light of Heaven, in their hearts are degrees of sin sickness.  They hate what they are doing, but they do not know how not to do those things, they seem to have lost self control over what they do, so it keeps on.  It is a sickness that has only one cure.....Jesus, the Healer of the world.  We need to be so open to others, especially now when this season seems to cause so many to fall into depression and grief.  Open your hearts to those who need a kind word, a sweet embrace and a word of Light to come into their day.  Let yourselves be used to show just what a difference that Jesus, our Light, can mean to a life.  Show everyone the real Light, the true Light, the only Light that can overcome the darkness in this world, and flood out all the artificial light in these lost children of God.

12-20-11