Midweek Devotion: Lead Kindly Light

John 11:10 “It is when he walks by night that he stumbles, for he has no light.”

About this time of year, I start to regularly watch professional football games. The competition gets intense and I enjoy seeing teams from all over the country doing their utmost to beat their opponents to win a coveted place in the playoffs. I especially like the nighttime games which are brilliantly lit and the crowds are usually loud and amazing.

As I watch these games, it dawns on me that without modern lighting, none of them could be played at night. Even the great spectacle of the Super Bowl would have to be played early in the day if there were no floodlights in use. As soon as dusk occurs, the late afternoon games would have to be over quickly without the illumination of the great lights above the players and throughout the stadiums. Teams would stumble in the dark and competitors would be injured. Television broadcasting would be hopeless and even the view from the blimp in the sky would be like looking into a dark crater. Without light, the games would quickly end and none of them would be worth viewing.

Light is essential to our modern lives; it’s also a necessary part of our spiritual growth. Without the light of Christ in the world, what would our lives become? Wouldn’t the darkness of evil or corruption overwhelm our spirits and overshadow our existence? Thankfully, when Jesus comes into our lives, He brightens our spirits, enlightens our minds, and dazzles our souls. His light brings meaning and purpose, direction and encouragement to our situations, experiences, and moments. He is the Light of our world, our souls, and our hearts. If we stumble in the dark, Jesus raises us up back into His light; if we fall into despair, He is ready to embrace us and lead us kindly towards the dazzling brightness of God’s everlasting Kingdom.

Questions for personal reflection

When has Christ’s light helped me in my life? Where do I see His light in the world today?

Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are the Light of the World and the Lamp for our souls. You direct our paths and give us guidance each day. Help us to follow Your light, so that we may see the way ahead that You have planned for us. In Your Holy Name, we pray. Amen.

 

Seeing God - 1 John 4:12

1 John 4:12 No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us. (NIV)

            One of my favorite hymns was written by a Scottish minister, Walter Chalmers Smith. The song is called “Immortal, Invisible, God Only Wise.” It’s one of a handful of traditional hymns that I can recite perfectly so whenever we sing it in church, I close my eyes and meditate on the beautiful lyrics.

            To me, the words describe the absolute majesty of God and how His glorious shekinah veils Him from our eyes. God is invisible not because He wants to hide from us, but because His glory is so bright that it does not register on our vision’s wavelength. God’s presence is always with us because we exist in His reality, not our own. He sees us perfectly, but we can only get a glimpse of God in how we love one another, according to the Apostle John. This means that if we truly want to see God in our lives, we need to become vessels of His love and grace.

            Sadly, we live in a world which is broken by disunity and dimmed by fear. We stumble in the dark because of our selfish and antagonistic ways. Pride overshadows our society and greed blots out our generosity. We are in danger of going down a blind alley created out of arrogance and vanity, bigotry and hatred. In other words, we are potentially doomed to become lost because our sins will eventually engulf us, casting us on a path to perdition and destruction.

            The only way to overcome this shadowing of our world is through the light of God’s love. There is no other substantive way or effective presence to remedy our self-inflicted plight other than our love for one another and the abundant sharing of God’s grace. As Christians, we have the capacity to change the entire world into a better planet for people everywhere, but only if we are willing to let others see God actively, graciously, and lovingly at work in our hearts and lives. For only then will the glory (Shekinah) of the Lord be seen; only then will the immortal, invisible God appear in our world.

Point to ponder

Where can I let God’s love through me lighten my community today?

Prayer: Lord Jesus, You once told Your followers that they were the light of the world. Help us in this generation to become those same vessels of light and grace that our planet desperately needs. May God’s loving presence become evident in all that we say and do. In Your Holy Name, we humbly pray. Amen.

John Stuart is the pastor of Erin Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, Tennessee. Come along and join us for worship on Sundays at 11:00 AM. You will be made very welcome 😊

Today’s image is one of John’s psalm drawings based on Psalm 24 v 1. If you would like to view a larger version, please click this link: Psalm24.

If you would like to watch and listen to a wonderful version of the hymn “Immortal, Invisible,” please click this link: HYMN