I Am the Light of the World
Open Your Bible
John 8:12-29, Psalm 27:1-14, John 1:1-4, Ephesians 5:8-14
BY Kaitlin Wernet
Don’t get me wrong—I love the change of seasons and readily welcome autumn, but when summer begins to deflate, I want to grab on to every last drop. And then, when we begin losing daylight at a rate of two minutes per day (ugh!), I am absolutely done for. Shorter, colder days force us to come inside early and remember what it’s like to live in the darkness. Am I the only one who’s still a little afraid of the dark?
You and I both know we’re not strangers to the darkness. We see it every day, in every season. It’s in our conflicts and our diagnoses, our best intentions and our hurt feelings. Maybe winter feels harder because it’s just a stark, visual reflection of our sinful reality. Left to our own devices, we are people wandering in darkness (Isaiah 9:2). Since the fall in the garden, we have all been scrounging around in the pitch-black of our sin and shame, our souls in danger of never truly seeing light again.
But here’s what I love about the gospel: Just as we sometimes see a visual representation of the sinful nature of our souls, God gives us an everlasting image of redemption and hope in His Son, Jesus. In the Gospel of John, we read:
“Jesus spoke to them again: “‘I am the light of the world. Anyone who follows me will never walk in the darkness but will have the light of life’” (John 8:12).
Let’s jump in with a little bit of context here: Jesus is speaking to a crowd that included Jewish religious leaders. He is in the temple complex, and the Feast of Tabernacles is taking place. The Jews had been debating His identity because of the miracles people had seen and the authority with which He spoke. And now Jesus gives them one more outrageous statement to debate: “I am the light of the world.”
Light was an important symbol in the Jewish Feast of Tabernacles (Leviticus 23:33–44), signifying the pillar of fire given to Israel during the exodus (Exodus 13:21). But here in John chapter 8, Jesus is saying that He Himself is the light given to His children, illuminating the way to eternal life. His declaration is for us as well.
Now, we, as beloved children of Christ, have seen the great light of life set before us. Let us hold on to Him, our only sure hope in the midst of darkness. He is our light in this life and our eternal salvation, our stronghold in the face of all fear and dread (Psalm 27:1). May He awaken us from the darkness of our sin and our slumber of ambivalence (Ephesians 5:13–14).
40 thoughts on "I Am the Light of the World"
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the reading/devotions/comments left me singing in my heart a song from our church’s worship circle called shine on me. the chorus sings:
Shine on me
Every shadowed corner of my soul be seen
Because with Your dawn comes the promise of
New life in my darkness
So shine, shine on mehttps://m.youtube.com/watch?v=H_Vx3SrQYeA&list=PLW7kzhfsZleRNEiIwjySKh2Sieg3JaEaV&index=5
thank you to everyone who is so faithful to share and comment. i don’t comment very often but all of your insights always encourage me to go deeper. thanks again! ~l
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I have spent most of my life in spiritual darkness. I was surrounded by those who rejected me and said I wasn’t good enough. When my personhood was attacked I truly felt that I was unloveable. That I wasn’t enough. I was in darkness for almost 9 miserable years. And yet He found me deep in the darkness. He brought His light to me and reminded me that He loves me. Even when I stumble still I am enough. His light guide my path out of the darkness. His light shines on lies said by the enemy. His truth says I am loved and enough. His love comforts me as I cry. His light is truly life.
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My prayer for today: Lord! Light my path. Light the fire in my heart to see ONLY Your way. Lord YOU are the ONLY way.
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Love that Jesus is the light of the world. How many timeshas He lit up my path, disintegrated the darkness in my days, given me warmth when I was feeling caught in the cold of this world? The joy of the Lord is my strength. Thank you ladies for your words. Shawn, I agree with all the comments. Lovely, and now when I look at every light I will attribute it to our Light of the world. What a fantastic way to see Jesus. There is no darkness in His presence. Hallelujah! What a God we serve.
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Lord be my Light and my Salvation. All I want is to be in the Light.
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I had to chuckle a little when I read the introduction of Kaitlin’s devotion. I too hold on to every last bit of summer. Those of us in the west coast are experiencing some cold temperatures but this weekend is going to be high 80s and low 90s! I am excited! My daughter on the other hand loves this weather but she is one who does not like darkness at all! We’ve been living here with my mom over two years now. She is a night owl. So when she goes to bed she turns on all the lights as she makes her way to her room. I’m thankful for my mom is very patientAnd does not mind in the middle of the night going back to turn off the lights. I know this has nothing to do with the devotion but it’s just something that I’ve been thinking about as my daughter has been healing here. She was even able to give her testimony two weeks ago about what God is doing in her life, where she was, and was very transparent of where she is now.I thankful although she and I bud heads at times, she loves Jesus. I’m so blessed God gave her to me.
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I myself am not particularly afraid of the “physical” dark, but VERY afraid of the “spiritual” dark. When life gets scary, overwhelming, and honestly just too much to handle at times, I remind myself not to let go of Jesus’ hand! In fact, I ask him multiple times a day not to let go. It helps to remind me that I am never alone. Just as Hootie and the Blowfish sang to America, I sing to Jesus “I’m going to love you the best that, the best that I can”.
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I know in my heart and my soul that Jesus is the light of this world. But how often am I putting His light on a dimmer? I adjust His brightness to fit the mood of the room. Here, in this SRT forum, I turn the switch to its full potential, but I have to be honest and say that in the “real world” I resort to turning it down. I don’t want to be overbearing or preachy or holier-than-thou. So in hopes of not being offensive or off-putting, I prevent the light of Christ from shining as it should.
Lord, I ask you to soften my heart so I can allow your light to shine for those who need your saving grace. I pray that you’ll give me the courage to walk confidently in your light even when it’s not “convenient” for the crowds.
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Thanks for ur candor! And Yes, Jesus give us the courage not to be a dimmer switch!
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