The Light of the World

Jesus used light to symbolize His Presence in the same way the Old Testament used light to symbolize God’s Presence. In the temple courtyard, there were two lamps on each side of the burnt offering altar. As night fell, they stood out as bright lights in the temple.

Every part of the Feast represented some aspect of the forty years that the Israelites wandered in the wilderness. Surely these magnificent lights brought to memory the pillar of cloud by day and the fire by night. The light for the Israelites represented the Presence of God. Jesus was their representative of this light, but they did not recognize His Presence as God. The closer people walked toward the two large golden lamps, the more they could see everything around them. The closer you walk to Jesus, the more you will see of your imperfections. As you do, Jesus will save you from your sins allowing you to walk even closer to Him.

In Ezekiel 10:18, the Scripture states, “Then the glory of the LORD departed from the threshold of the temple and stood over the cherubim.” While the glory had departed in the Old Testament, the Glory of the Lord, Jesus, had come back to the temple in the New Testament. However, the people were not looking for Jesus, but for their idea of whom the Messiah would be. We must let Jesus guide every step of our lives as the pillar of cloud by day and fire by night guided the Israelites. We must be ready to follow Jesus when He moves.

Jesus came to expose evil deeds so that people could see his need for God. Without light, people will do what is right in their own eyes, because there is nothing to expose their sins and help them to see their need for God. Just as Jesus is the Light, His Spirit is the Light that shines through a believer’s life. When you love God with all your heart, the light of Christ in you reveals, exposes, and makes people in your presence uncomfortable when they live in darkness. When a person follows darkness, he is not following Jesus.

Is Christ the light of your life? If so, He takes first place above all. Many make statements such as, “Family is everything” or “Family always comes first.” But that is not true when Christ is your Light. If Christ is not everything to you, then you will have an improper view of family. Christ is the light and those who follow Him will not walk in the darkness. His Light brings direction and protection. You will not see the proper view of family nor life if He is not your Light.

Believers have a duty to follow Jesus. Jesus won’t just light up one area of your life but every step you should take. In Jesus’ Presence, there is no darkness. If you want clear direction in life, then follow the Light by submitting your will to His Will. When Jesus said to follow Him, He was not suggesting that you simply look at His Life. You must make the commitment to drop your ambitions and do what He says.

The call to follow Jesus is much deeper than attending church every Sunday or serving in a ministry. It is following Him in your thinking by submitting to His Teachings and His Ways. Such obedience is spiritual not physical. While Christ may call you to a physical place, He also desires for you to experience freedom in your heart, soul, and mind. When you battle the Teaching of Jesus, you are not following Him.

As you spend time with Jesus, through the light of His Word, He reveals His Thoughts and Ways to you. Your response should be to submit to what He is saying and then wait for more direction. This is what following Jesus is all about: living in His Light through His Word and Spirit. Jesus taught, “He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.” When you choose to follow your own thinking, you are choosing to walk in darkness. Apart from Jesus, your mind does not have the light of life. The Words that Jesus taught are life, because they are Jesus.

Why would anyone believe that to simply gaze on Christ without following Him is true Christianity? It is not enough to know about Christ; you must keep on believing and follow Christ in order to experience fulfillment in this world. To know Christ is the supreme reason for life.

 

From John: True Belief Brings Faithfulness (Book 2) by Alison Veazey and Kerry Skinner.