February 1: Trusting His Provision.
HIS LIGHT.
"I am the Light of the world."--John 9:5
I had an unforgettable experience while visiting New Zealand to speak at a women's retreat. I was hoping to find some time between my speaking engagements to visit the Waitomo Glowworm Caves. Thanks to the kindness and efforts of my hosts, we made it. In a little boat, we entered a very dark cave; the guide asked us to be completely silent. We quietly sat there in the dark as excitement started to fill my heart. I had heard about the light-emitting worms inhabiting these caves, yet nothing prepared me for the sight of them! As the boat turned into the larger section of the cave, thousands of tiny bright lights appeared as if we were looking at a star-filled night sky. Because of the surrounding darkness, the lights shone much brighter that I had imagined. And once again, I felt amazed at the beauty of God's creation!
There is something about darkness that makes the light shine even brighter! In one of His revealing "I am" statements in the Gospel of John, Jesus announces: "I am the Light of the world" (John 9:5). Jesus then proceeds to heal a blind man, who ends up seeing both physically and spiritually, and is the only person in this Gospel to worship Jesus. The words the blind man uses referring to Jesus highlight his progression towards spiritual sight: he calls Jesus a man (verse 11), then a prophet (verse 17), "from God" (verse 33), et cetera, and finally, he believes in Him and worships Him (verse 38). On the other hand, the Pharisees, who thought they could see, end up being blind (verses 39-41), and declare themselves disciples of Moses and not of Jesus (verse 28). They call Jesus "a sinner" (verse 24) and put the formerly blind man out of the synagogue in the name of Moses and Sabbath keeping. Sometimes, spiritual darkness can be found even in religious circles. We are blind if anything or anyone other than Jesus becomes the object of our worship, even if it is something religious, as in the case of these Pharisees. Only Jesus provides peace. He is the Light that illuminates our minds, dispels our doubts and fears, and holds our future. He is the Light of the world and the Light of our lives!
My Response:________________________________________________
HIS LIGHT.
"I am the Light of the world."--John 9:5
I had an unforgettable experience while visiting New Zealand to speak at a women's retreat. I was hoping to find some time between my speaking engagements to visit the Waitomo Glowworm Caves. Thanks to the kindness and efforts of my hosts, we made it. In a little boat, we entered a very dark cave; the guide asked us to be completely silent. We quietly sat there in the dark as excitement started to fill my heart. I had heard about the light-emitting worms inhabiting these caves, yet nothing prepared me for the sight of them! As the boat turned into the larger section of the cave, thousands of tiny bright lights appeared as if we were looking at a star-filled night sky. Because of the surrounding darkness, the lights shone much brighter that I had imagined. And once again, I felt amazed at the beauty of God's creation!
There is something about darkness that makes the light shine even brighter! In one of His revealing "I am" statements in the Gospel of John, Jesus announces: "I am the Light of the world" (John 9:5). Jesus then proceeds to heal a blind man, who ends up seeing both physically and spiritually, and is the only person in this Gospel to worship Jesus. The words the blind man uses referring to Jesus highlight his progression towards spiritual sight: he calls Jesus a man (verse 11), then a prophet (verse 17), "from God" (verse 33), et cetera, and finally, he believes in Him and worships Him (verse 38). On the other hand, the Pharisees, who thought they could see, end up being blind (verses 39-41), and declare themselves disciples of Moses and not of Jesus (verse 28). They call Jesus "a sinner" (verse 24) and put the formerly blind man out of the synagogue in the name of Moses and Sabbath keeping. Sometimes, spiritual darkness can be found even in religious circles. We are blind if anything or anyone other than Jesus becomes the object of our worship, even if it is something religious, as in the case of these Pharisees. Only Jesus provides peace. He is the Light that illuminates our minds, dispels our doubts and fears, and holds our future. He is the Light of the world and the Light of our lives!
My Response:________________________________________________
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