John 12:28-38
A voice from heaven then said, "I have already brought glory to myself, and I will do it again!" When the crowd heard the voice, some of them thought it was thunder. Others thought an angel had spoken to Jesus.
Then Jesus told the crowd, "That voice spoke to help you, not me. This world's people are now being judged, and the ruler of this world is already being thrown out! If I am lifted up above the earth, I will make everyone want to come to me." Jesus was talking about the way he would be put to death. The crowd said to Jesus, "The Scriptures teach that the Messiah will live forever. How can you say that the Son of Man must be lifted up? Who is this Son of Man?" Jesus answered, "The light will be with you for only a little longer. Walk in the light while you can. Then you won't be caught walking blindly in the dark. Have faith in the light while it is with you, and you will be children of the light."
After Jesus had said these things, he left and went into hiding.
Scripture taken from the Contemporary English Version © 1991,1992, 1995 by American Bible Society, Used by Permission.
If you have ever been to my house, you know that I use miniature twinkling lights to decorate several corners of our home. I put them on the fireplace mantle and above the cabinets in our kitchen. At Christmas time I add more lights on the TV cabinet, and of course, on the Christmas trees. We even have some twinkling lights on our back porch to illuminate the railings when we sit outside at night. After Christmas, I always buy a lot of extra boxes of these lights when they are reduced for quick sale. These strands of lights are fragile… a sudden power surge… or several weeks of use… can cause them to malfunction – or fail.
I can usually tell when these lights are about to burn out, because for a day or so, they will burn more brightly. I know that sounds weird, but it’s true. And as I replaced a strand of lights this morning, I thought about this scripture passage and our lives as Christians. See, we are somewhat like the strand of Christmas lights. We burn for Christ for a while… and maybe we even burn brightly for a season… but we tend to fizzle out at some point, needing a replacement or “recharge.” We are children of the light, okay… but we’re not always very reliable!
Jesus, on the other hand, burns brightly forever. Yes, He physically left this earth… the light of His human presence was extinguished for a time. But He continues to shine brightly in Heaven – and to send His light to us, so that we can continue His work on this earth. AND… someday, Jesus will return to earth for His church, and the Bible tells us His light will be so incredibly bright that it will almost be more than we can handle!
The next time I see a strand of twinkling lights burning extra brightly, I will think of this passage. I will remember that we must strive to stay faithful and in communication with God, so that our “light” does not burn brightly and then fizzle. I will also be reminded that Jesus’ light and love cannot be extinguished. He lives in and through me… and I have work to do on His behalf.
What about you? What sort of “child of the Light” are you these days? Is your light for Christ burning strongly… or is it on the verge of a fizzle? Do what you must today to reconnect with Jesus and keep His light burning strongly within you… and never get caught in the dark!
©2011 Debbie Robus
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