Bible League: Living His Word Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.”— John 8:12 NKJV In our verse for today, Jesus uses physical light as a metaphor for spiritual light and he uses its contrast—physical darkness—as a metaphor for spiritual darkness. People need light to see where they’re going. In this context, they need spiritual light to see where they’re going. The world we live in is a spiritually dark place. Indeed, it is a world dominated in many ways by what the Apostle Paul calls the “power of darkness” (Colossians 1:13), and what the Apostle John calls “the sway of the wicked one” (1 John 5:19). As a result, many people have no idea where they’re headed. Blinded by Satan’s darkness (2 Corinthians 4:4), they’re headed straight for hell and don’t even know it. Into this dark world a light has shone, a spiritual light. Jesus is the light of the world. His teachings give light; and if you bask in His spiritual light, you will see where you were headed. You will see that you were headed to hell. Once you bask in the light and see this, there’s no going back. The light has shone onto your darkness, and it can never enshroud you again (John 1:5). The light, however, not only shows you where you were headed, it also shows you where you’re headed now. You will never walk in darkness again. If you accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior, if you follow him, the path of life stretched out before you will be lit. You will see where you should go and what you should do. And in the distance, you will see you’re headed for heaven. The light, then, is the “light of life.” It saves you from death and destruction. It gives you eternal and abundant life. Bible in a Year Old Testament ReadingNumbers 22, 23, 24 Numbers 22 -- Balak Sends for Balaam; Balaam and the Angel NIV NLT ESV NAS GWT KJV ASV ERV DRB Numbers 23 -- The Prophecies of Balaam NIV NLT ESV NAS GWT KJV ASV ERV DRB Numbers 24 -- The Prophecy from Peor NIV NLT ESV NAS GWT KJV ASV ERV DRB New Testament Reading Mark 8:1-21 Mark 8 -- Jesus Feeds the Four Thousand, Heals a Blind Man at Bethsaida; Peter's Confession of Christ NIV NLT ESV NAS GWT KJV ASV ERV DRB Reading Plan Courtesy of Christian Classics Etherial Library. Tyndale Life Application Daily Devotion Though we are overwhelmed by our sins,you forgive them all. Insight Although we may feel overwhelmed by the multitude of our sins, God will forgive them all if we ask sincerely. Challenge Do you feel as though God could never forgive you, that your sins are too many, or that some of them are too great? The good news is that God can and will forgive them all. Nobody is beyond redemption, and nobody is so full of sin that he or she cannot be made clean. Morning and Evening by Spurgeon Psalm 62:5 My expectation is from him.It is the believer's privilege to use this language. If he is looking for aught from the world, it is a poor "expectation" indeed. But if he looks to God for the supply of his wants, whether in temporal or spiritual blessings, his "expectation" will not be a vain one. Constantly he may draw from the bank of faith, and get his need supplied out of the riches of God's lovingkindness. This I know, I had rather have God for my banker than all the Rothschilds. My Lord never fails to honor his promises; and when we bring them to his throne, he never sends them back unanswered. Therefore I will wait only at his door, for he ever opens it with the hand of munificent grace. At this hour I will try him anew. But we have "expectations" beyond this life. We shall die soon; and then our "expectation is from him." Do we not expect that when we lie upon the bed of sickness he will send angels to carry us to his bosom? We believe that when the pulse is faint, and the heart heaves heavily, some angelic messenger shall stand and look with loving eyes upon us, and whisper, "Sister spirit, come away!" As we approach the heavenly gate, we expect to hear the welcome invitation, "Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world." We are expecting harps of gold and crowns of glory; we are hoping soon to be amongst the multitude of shining ones before the throne; we are looking forward and longing for the time when we shall be like our glorious Lord--for "We shall see him as he is." Then if these be thine "expectations," O my soul, live for God; live with the desire and resolve to glorify him from whom cometh all thy supplies, and of whose grace in thy election, redemption, and calling, it is that thou hast any "expectation" of coming glory. Daily Light on the Daily Path John 3:16 "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.2 Corinthians 5:18-21 Now all these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation, • namely, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and He has committed to us the word of reconciliation. • Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making an appeal through us; we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. • He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. 1 John 4:8-11 The one who does not love does not know God, for God is love. • By this the love of God was manifested in us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world so that we might live through Him. • In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. • Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. New American Standard Bible Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation, La Habra, Calif. All rights reserved. For Permission to Quote Information visit http://www.lockman.org. |
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