Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life. John 8:12 KJV
Jesus spoke these words just after he had reproved the men who brought the woman caught in adultery to him, asking that He pronounce judgment. We know how that went. Before I am quick to point the finger, have I examined my own life? Have I weighed my standing in the light of God's standard? In that light, Jesus spoke the words of today's extract, teaching us that those who know and walk with Him enjoy a special privilege: their standing with God is correct and based on truth, not on popular opinion or on the shaky and unstable principles of the world.
Jesus says He is the Light of the world. Not just that he gives it, He is the personification of Light. In Him is light; of Him and from Him is light and light is His nature, foundation and guiding principle. He offers it also to all who will follow Him. The choice of who to follow is mine; as always, God does not force Himself on anyone. I make the conscious decision to seek Him out and submit to His control and leading. God assures all who do this that they will not walk in darkness.
Need to clarify this: those who follow Jesus are assured that they will not walk in darkness; nowhere does He promise that darkness will not threaten. The devil wants to deceive us into thinking that the outward facts that surround us are our inner realities. He wants us to think that the presence of tough times is the absence of God's presence with us. However, today's extract gives this assurance: when you have Jesus, the presence of threats and trials doesn't change the fact of his Presence. Nothing on the outward can disrupt the rhythm of the Peace inside of you, unless you allow the external dictate the internal. Do you just hear about Him, but have no personal experience of Him? Reading and hearing and writing about Him is not enough; you have to know Him as personal Lord and Saviour.
That's the basis of the last part of today's extract: have the light of life. Light becomes a personal possession; it guarantees you life eternal with God; it guarantees that you will never walk in darkness and that the good end God promised is already secured, even while you live in the now. What could be better than this? His time of favour is here.
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