Jesus the Light of the World

 I recently stayed in a refurbished hotel. When I arrived I realized that I had stayed there years before when it was owned by another hotel chain. Since then Marriott bought it and updated it. The renovations are wonderful. The place looks great. 

Obviously mindful of the need to save energy, they took out the light switches in the rooms. They replaced the light switches with a slot that requires your keycard. In order to keep guests who don’t pay the electric bill from leaving the room and leaving the lights on while they are out, you have to insert your key card into the slot to turn the lights in your room on and off. Smart. A win-win. You never lose your keycard because it’s right by the door and you can’t burn electricity while you’re out all day. 👍🏾👍🏾

When it was time for bed the first night, I pulled the key card out of the slot. There’s about a minute delay. So I had time to find my way to the bed before the lights went out. My sleep was sweet. 

Only thing, I discovered when I woke up in the middle of the night to make my customary trip to the little boy’s room, the light switch was over by the door and I needed to get from the bed to the door to turn the lights on so I could see. 

The layout of the room was unfamiliar to me. And it was pitch black. Now I have stubbed my toe before. When my boys were small I remember waking in the middle of the night and stepping on their toys. That stuff hurts!

The darkness is dangerous. You can step onto a sharp object. I remember when I was at a Southwest Region Conference camp meeting, one night someone walking just paces ahead of me almost stepped onto a snake in the darkness. 

Sometimes the darkness is dangerous for others! Listen! If your dog sleeps beside you, he might get stepped on in the darkness.

Fortunately, most of us live in countries where we have access to electricity 24/7 and we don’t have to navigate the night in the dark.

But spiritually, too many are still trying to navigate life in the dark. 

Jesus lets us know that though you may be in darkness, you don’t have to REMAIN in darkness. He is the Light! And if we follow Him, one does not have to walk in darkness. 

Jesus is the light that leads to life. 

I won’t ask for any witnesses in the comments, but I know you’re out there. Before you followed Jesus you hit your spiritual head walking in the darkness. You stepped into some toxic stuff walking in the darkness. You stubbed your spiritual toe in the darkness. 

I thank God for the Light! And if you are still walking in darkness, Jesus says that you don’t have to do that anymore. You don’t have to stay out there in the dark. Jesus is the Light. 

“Jesus spoke to the people once more and said, “I am the light of the world. If you follow me, you won’t have to walk in darkness, because you will have the light that leads to life” (John 8:12).

“The people who sat in darkness have seen a great light. And for those who lived in the land where death casts its shadow, a light has shined” (Matthew 4:16).

“But you are not like that, for you are a chosen people. You are royal priests, a holy nation, God’s very own possession. As a result, you can show others the goodness of God, for he called you OUT of the darkness INTO His wonderful LIGHT” (1 Peter 2:9).