True Light
“The people walking in darkness
have seen a great light;
on those living in the land of deep darkness
a light has dawned.”
Today’s Text: Isaiah 9:1-7 (Living Life Daily Devotional)
There is a deep darkness in this world, but Jesus Christ is a greater light, and He has overcome the darkness.
In Him was life, and that life was the light of mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it
— John 1:4-5
Isaiah’s prophecy was given around 750BC, and it was fulfilled when Jesus was born. Jesus was crucified and resurrected around 27-29AD (maybe a little later). And since the first coming of Christ, both Isaiah’s prophecy and John’s inspired word have continued to hold true. These words will continue to hold true for the rest of eternity.
In the midst of the darkness in this world, we all yearn for light. We search for light. We all crave and instinctively seek the promise of goodness that life is supposed to bring.
And if Jesus is the fulfillment of that promise, then why is it so difficult to (1) experience the goodness we seek in Him and (2) help others to find the goodness they seek in Him? Shouldn’t the goodness of life that we instinctively crave be easier to come by in Christ Jesus?
But maybe it is easier than we make it out to be. Maybe experiencing the goodness we crave is harder for us because we are not really seeking the light. Maybe we are continuing to seek the light by pursuing the darkness.
The devil disguises the darkness as light, and we fall for his tricks because we don’t seek the light according to the word of God, but according to the dark ways of the world.
Nothing truly good can come from following the ways of the world. And those who experience a counterfeit “goodness” in the world are really in darkness. When the light of Christ shines into their darkness, suddenly, life becomes very difficult for them.
With each step of obedience, however, these realities start to penetrate deeper into our hearts. The goodness that we seek in Christ start to actually feel like goodness. That is because we start to understand and think and feel that the so-called “goodness” that the world has to offer is not goodness at all, but just darkness.
Such personal transformation can only come from the word of God and the Holy Spirit working in our minds and hearts. And for that work to happen, a person needs faith.
In then end, all of creation and all of humanity across all time will understand that the darkness will never overcome the light. And as Dave Harvey wrote,
When light and darkness clash, light wins. Every time.
Father, You are the source of all goodness and light. You sent Your Son to give us that light and life. I confess that I so often pursue the darkness, thinking that it is light. But open my eyes to Your reality and to Your truth so that I might pursue the true Light and true Light alone. In Jesus’s name. Amen.
