The Light For Our Path

"When Jesus spoke again to the people, He said, "I am the Light of the world. Whoever follows Me will never walk in darkness, but will have the Light of life." John 8:12

I love winter! Ask anyone who knows me well and they will testify to the fact that I enjoy snow and don't usually mind when my family and I get "trapped" at home because the snow has made it unsafe, or impossible, for us to get around. As much as I love winter, though, I do find myself dreaming of warmer weather and the fun things we get to do in the summer months.


One of the things my family enjoys doing in the summer is camping. We enjoy cooking outside, sleeping in a tent, and sitting around the campfire making s'mores. When we go camping there are many things that we pack. Our van is filled so full there is barely enough room for the three of us to fit in with all of our stuff.


While, in my opinion, there are several "must haves" for a camping trip, one of the things we just can't be without is our flashlights. The flashlights are especially important when we are making our way around camp after the sun goes down. The flashlights help us to see our way on the path. Sometimes the campground will have smooth paths that are already lit and making our way to our destination is easy. It is then that we use the flashlight to make sure we stay on that path. However, there are times when the path we are taking has no lights at all and the way is rough and bumpy. Without our flashlights we would stumble and fall.





In our text for today we are told where to find the light to illuminate our paths in life. Jesus tells the people He is speaking to that He is the Light of the world. No light shines brighter or serves as a better guide down the paths we must walk on. Whether smooth or bumpy, we need that Light. When we focus on Jesus, we are promised that we will never be left out in the dark to find our way alone. Jesus will guide us in the way to salvation and life everlasting.


Just like I know I do not want to leave behind the flashlights when my family goes camping, I also know that I don't want to forget to continue putting Christ first in our famiy and in each of our individual lives. Reading Scripture daily, devotions, prayer, worship, and singing God's praises all serve as a way for us to keep the Light of Christ clearly illuminating and leading us on the path of forgiveness and salvation through Jesus Christ our Savior, the Light of the world.


Dear Heavenly Father we thank you for sending Jesus to be our Light in this dark world. Help us Lord to allow the Light of Christ to brightly shine in our lives and help us to teach our children about following the Light, the Light that leads us to salvation. Amen.