The Light of the World

"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

One of my favorite vacations when I was young was an epic family road trip from Michigan to Tennessee. We had one of those giant blue Econoline vans (you know, the kind with the blue velvet seats and little black and white box t.v. in the middle console and the ladder up the back of the van 😉), and spent the better part of two weeks driving through the mountains of Tennessee and Kentucky. We slept in the van most of the time and went on adventure after adventure. It was honestly the best time together as a family and one of my favorite family memories.

One of our stops on the epic road trip was a cave tour in Kentucky. It was beautiful and fascinating. I will never forget following the guides into the depths of the cave. Once we were deep in the cave, our group stopped and the guides gave some details about the cave and then they told us they were going to turn out the lights. They wanted to show us how dark the cave would be in the absence of all light. Then they switched off the floodlights and the cave was plunged into darkness. This was a darkness I had never experienced before. 

I waved my hand in front of my face. I could feel it there, but I couldn't see it. I couldn't even see a shape or a shadow. 

I couldn't see my mom sitting right next to me. 

I couldn't see my dad standing a couple feet away.

I couldn't see anything. 

The darkness closed in all around me, like a dark, oppressive cloak. My mind raced. What if the lights didn't come back on? What if something happened and we were stuck in the cave in the dark forever? I started to panic. 

And then the lights came back on. 

It was only for a moment, but the darkness had consumed me. There was not even a glimmer of light in the depths of that cave - only complete and utter darkness. 

My friends, that is the perfect example of a world without Christ. Without Christ, we would live in complete and utter darkness. We would be consumed by the dark. We would stumble around life not seeing anything in front of us or beside us. Lost. 

But Jesus. 

He is the Light. He pierces through the darkness of this world and brings light to all those who follow Him. 

What a dungeon the world would be without the sun! 

So would it be without Christ by whom light came into the world! 

Matthew Henry has this to say: 

It's not enough just to see the light, we must follow it. It's the happiness of those who follow Christ that they should not walk in darkness. They shall not be left destitute of those instructions in the way of truth which are necessary to keep them from destroying error. They shall have the light of life, that knowledge and enjoyment of God which will be to them the light of spiritual life in this world and of everlasting life in the other world, where there will be no death or darkness. 

So often, we choose to walk in darkness rather than light. 

"And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil."

John 3:19

We choose to stay in the dark rather than follow the light because we are comfortable in the dark - we like our sin and our status quo. Don't shut your eyes to the Light. Let the light of the gospel of Jesus Christ push back the dark and follow in His truth today.💜

The "I AM" Statements of Jesus

Jesus' emphatic "I Am" statement in John 8:12 is one of seven such statements in the book of John. In the book of Exodus, the mighty God of the universe calls Himself I AM to His servant Moses. Jesus completes the statement given to Moses in Exodus. He is the Light of the World and in Him is no darkness at all (1 John 1:5). 

This month, I'm studying all seven of the "I Am" statements:

• "I am the bread of life."
• "I am the light of the world."
• "I am the door of the sheep."
• "I am the resurrection and the life."
• "I am the good shepherd."
• "I am the way, the truth, and the life."
• "I am the true vine." 

  

I would love to encourage you to do a study on the "I Ams" as well. There is so much to be learned from these passages of Scripture and I'm looking forward to what God will teach me in these next few weeks. Connect with me on Facebook or Instagram and we can compare notes. 😉

Page Details

This page didn't turn out anything like it thought it would, to be honest. I was going for a watercolor galaxy feel, but I prepped my page with gesso so it wouldn't bleed through to the art I had on the back side of the page and the watercolors reacted differently to the page. It ended up turning into more of a mess of purple and pink colors. 🤣 Plus, the watercolors leaked under the verses I had masked off. 🤦Still, I splattered the page with some metallic and glitter paint, drew some stars, used some texture stamps and called it a win. I've been journaling for 2.5 years now and I'm still learning as I go along. It goes to show you that even though a page doesn't turn out how you thought it would, it can be a fun learning process. Spending time with the Lord is what truly matters. 💗

I used a three different stamp sets (I Am, Texture Tiles 1, and Faith Wordfetti), watercolors, and a white uni-ball gel pen for this page. 

  

Love in Christ, 

Janelle

@journalingjoy

Be the Light!

You are the light of the world. 

A city set on a hill cannot be hidden.   

Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, 

but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house.  

 In the same way, let your light shine before others, 

so that they may see your good works 

and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.  

Matthew 5: 14-16

Christ stands on a hill by the Sea of Galilee and delivers what we know as the Sermon on the Mount.  He just finished the Beatitudes...a list of blessings for those who choose to follow the Way.  I love the way Jesus taught. He has the perfect blend of encouragement and challenge in his teaching.  Verses 13-16 are sometimes referred to as the Similitudes...and these two compelling comparisons have beautiful literary expression.  We are to be salt and light.  Salt both flavors and preserves.  And light pierces through the darkness.

Have you ever noticed how little light it takes to dispel darkness?  A room can be engulfed in a blanket of black and a spark of light, just a pin point, opens a way through the dark abyss.  We are that light in our world darkened by sin.  We may think our light is insignificantly small.  Nothing could be farther from the truth.  Our purpose is to shine our light.  

Someone once asked me about the command to shine your light so others would see your good works.  They thought the verse encouraged self service, or self glorification.  To clarify, we have to remember we are not the source of the light we shine.  All our good works are to point to Christ.  That's why ministry must be more than humanitarian effort.  Help may come from caring gestures, but no light emanates from works that simply serve to help others.  While these efforts are good and kind, unless we shine the light of Christ, people may walk away with all our help and step right back into the darkness of their world.  Feeding the hungry may fill stomachs, but unless we shine the LIGHT into the dismal world of the needy, they will hunger and thirst again.  We may build shelters for the homeless, but unless we shine the LIGHT into their hearts, their habitats remain cold and dark.   

Let your light shine...

the light inside you is the living Christ.

Shine the light of his grace-filled gospel 

and truly lead others out of their darkness. 

In this way, you give glory to God. 

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Design Details:  This simple page took minutes to design.  The wreath is printed on clear, matte sticker paper and adhered to the page.  The fun lettering from an alpha stamp lends color while helping to focus on the simply but powerful message of the text.  The passage is highlighted with yellow watercolor paint, and with a simple page like this, the eye is drawn to the message.   

Product Used:

Christmas Joy Printable Bundle

Sunshine Girl Alpha Clear Stamp