Day 8 – The Light of the World

The Light of the World
John 8:12, Matthew 5:14-5:16

Has this ever happened to you? It’s 2:00 a.m., and suddenly, you are wide awake. You try falling back asleep, but it’s not working. You head to the kitchen and grab a drink of water, hoping that will help. You don’t want to wake anybody, so you decide to go covert and not turn on any of the lights. It becomes quite the journey of feeling for walls, quietly tiptoeing, and making sure you don’t step on any Legos. You make it to the kitchen, get your drink, and head back to bed. You completed your midnight mission, and the water was just what you needed to get back to sleep.

It’s funny that turning on the lights in this scenario would make everything easier. You choose not to turn on the lights because you don’t want to disturb anyone. Light can’t help but impact its environment. When a light is turned on in the dark, it gets people’s attention. That being the reality, it is very fitting that Jesus is the “light of the world.” Jesus came into a broken world and revolutionized it with his teachings and miracles.

What’s interesting about Jesus saying he is the light of the world is that it can seem to come in opposition with what he says in Matthew that “we are the light of the world.” So, which is it? Is Jesus the light of the world, or are we the light of the world? The answer is yes. We are the light of the world because Jesus, who is the light of the world, lives in us.

This means we can live in a way that radically impacts our environment, just like Jesus did. So how do we do that? We do it by letting His power operate through us. We take time to stop and pray for someone to be healed. We share an encouraging word with the person God places on our hearts. We step out in boldness to share the Gospel with a stranger. As we walk in obedience, we see God do the extraordinary in us and through us.

During this season of prayer and fasting, God will give you opportunities to shine His light. Be bold, step out in faith, and watch God do the supernatural through you!