Don’t Wander in Darkness
I have come as a light to shine in this dark world so that all who trust in me will no longer wander in darkness. John 12:46
Have you ever felt like you were wandering around in the dark? Like somehow there was no purpose to this life except to get through another day? Maybe you look around in the world and see so much pain, suffering and corruption that there doesn’t seem to be any hope of things ever changing for the better. The world just seems to be getting darker and darker. It is hard to watch people you love wandering around in the darkness with no end in sight.
In the remaining verses of John 12, Jesus begins talking very loudly so that everyone that is close to Him can hear His words. Many times in scripture I see this phrase when I am reading: Then Jesus cried out and said. When I read that, I stop to imagine exactly what that could have looked like? It doesn’t mean that He started crying. Other translations say: Jesus shouted to the crowds, Jesus shouted out passionately or Jesus loudly declared. The point is, Jesus publicly spoke up and told the multitudes that if anyone believed in Him, they also believe in God the Father in heaven. He also said anyone who saw Him, has seen the Father in heaven. Then He went on to tell the people that day that He came to be the light in the darkness. This was very good news, because it was a very dark time in history, especially for the Jewish people. Jesus came into the world to show people the way to no long wander in darkness and to have hope for a better future.
This message is still good news today because His light is still shining in the dark world that we live in. You no longer have to wander around in the darkness, you can carry the light with you and in you. When you receive Jesus as your Lord and Savior, you receive the light inside. As you begin to grow in your relationship with Him, the light inside you gets brighter and brighter. The closer you are to Jesus, the clearer His light shines through you. Soon you will be shiny enough to go into the darkness to help others that are wandering around. You can point them to the truth of God love and kindness and the provision He made for all to walk out of the dark into His glorious light.
Today I want to encourage you to increase your shine by getting closer to Him. Set aside quiet time with Him each morning so that you can get His direction and carry His peace and light with you through the day. Spend time worshipping and filling up with His goodness so that it flows out of you onto others where ever you go. If you have never received the light of His salvation in your life personally, do that today by praying the prayer below from your heart. Jesus will come into your heart and into your life and walk closely with you until your light shines bright for all to see.
Pray: God in heaven, I know I’m a sinner and I need a Savior. I want to turn away from my sinful life to the life You have planned for me. Please forgive my sins, cleanse me from my past, and make me new today. I know Your Son, Jesus died for me. I believe in my heart that You raised Him from the dead. At this very moment, I accept, confess, and proclaim Jesus as my personal Lord and Savior . . . to be Lord of my life from this day forward. I now have a right relationship with God my Father through this salvation in the blood of Jesus. I thank You for giving me Your Holy Spirit to guide me and to empower me to accomplish the things You have planned for my life in Jesus’ name, Amen
Today’s scripture reading: John 12:44-50
44 Then Jesus cried out and said, “He who believes in Me, believes not in Me but in Him who sent Me.
45 And he who sees Me sees Him who sent Me.
46 I have come as a light into the world, that whoever believes in Me should not abide in darkness.
47 And if anyone hears My words and does not believe, I do not judge him; for I did not come to judge the world but to save the world.
48 He who rejects Me, and does not receive My words, has that which judges him—the word that I have spoken will judge him in the last day.
49 For I have not spoken on My own authority; but the Father who sent Me gave Me a command, what I should say and what I should speak.
50 And I know that His command is everlasting life. Therefore, whatever I speak, just as the Father has told Me, so I speak.”
The Daily Dose 