In a world of darkness, it is comforting to know Jesus calls us out of that darkness and into the marvelous light of His presence (1 Peter 2:9). The darkness of this world is heavy and oppressive. In contrast, Jesus tells us His burden is light and comes with an overwhelming sense of peace and joy (Matthew 11:28-30). This life has a way of wearing you down and making you tired all the time.
It’s easy to wonder where we can find the joy Jesus promises. We know Jesus never lies (1 Peter 2:22; Titus 1:1-2; Numbers 23:19), so if we are missing out on something He promises, the reason is we’ve taken our focus off Him and are staring at our circumstances and problems. The fact we all do this doesn’t make it any less painful or wrong.
If some miracle gave you the gift of sight after spending most of your life blind, you wouldn’t walk around with your eyes closed. Before Christ, we all lived with spiritual blindness. But then, praise God, a glorious light overcame our blindness (Isaiah 9:2). Our eyes are now open to all the beauty of Christ. We will see the world differently as long as we do not shut our eyes to what Christ is revealing to us. Instead of repulsive people, we will see sinners (like us!) who are desperate for the hope found only in Jesus. We will see the beauty among the ashes (Isaiah 61:1-3).
Having the light of Christ now illuminating our world, we can’t let those still stumbling in the dark remain in that state (Acts 26:17-18). Jesus didn’t commission us to hoard His light but to shine it throughout the world (Matthew 5:14-16). Having a share in the righteousness of Christ, we now share the same opportunity with others. Our share in eternity never diminishes when we bring others along with us. After all, that’s the reason we are here. We are to share the gospel of Jesus at all costs (Matthew 28:19-20). Our purpose here is not to be happy, healthy, safe, and comfortable. We are here to be ambassadors of Jesus and continue His mission of rescuing people from an eternity in Hell (2 Corinthians 5:20).
Apart from Jesus, we are no different from everyone else. Although we were once in darkness, now we walk in the marvelous light of Christ (Ephesians 5:8-10). We know what it’s like to walk in the darkness, which is why it’s so heavy to feel it all around us. One thing I know, darkness runs from light every time (John 1:5). Darkness and light cannot coexist (2 Corinthians 6:14). If you are standing in the dark, it is because you are preventing the light of God from shining through you. Having all the light you will ever need, why do you insist on staring at the dark (John 8:12)?
This world is ugly. The darkness can feel like it’s all-consuming. Lift your eyes! God sees you and has given you the hope of His Kingdom, or as Paul puts it, a share of the inheritance in the light (Colossians 1:11-13). We don’t have to stumble in the darkness. We can bask in the marvelous light of Jesus Christ. The darkness of this world is not our home (Philippians 3:20; 1 Peter 2:11; Hebrews 11:13). The light of the world is Jesus (John 8:12), and He is waiting to welcome you into His eternal Kingdom (John 14:3).