Relevant Word

12 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 

Consider This: Flashlights are most needed in darkness. We do not step outdoors at 12 noon and use a flashlight because everything can already be clearly seen without additional light. However, at 12 midnight a flashlight is vital. Nothing has changed in between these 12 hours other than our ability to see. The same is true in this verse. The sinful and dark world around Jesus did not change, but because He provided us Light, our ability to see did. 

Relevance: Today, many of us are stumbling in the dark and tripping over obstacles that may have been seen in advance if we were following God’s Light. Light illuminates and reveals certain things the natural eyes are incapable of seeing. When Jesus says we will never walk in darkness, He is not only referring to physical darkness, but spiritual darkness as well. His Light will allow us to see impure intentions, deceptive spirits, and the tainted hearts of some individuals we encounter. His Light will reveal certain things our eyes could never see on their own. 

Application: As believers, we have been given God’s Light, however sometimes we drift away from Him. When we drift, we can no longer see where we are going or how we are going to get there. So, if we can no longer see beyond our nose, it may be because we have gone too far away from His Light. A light is useless if it is being shined in a place we are not occupying. For example, we could turn on the light in our kitchen, but this light will do nothing for us if we are upstairs in our bedroom. The kitchen light won’t keep us from stumbling in the darkness of our bedroom. It isn’t until we walk closer to the source of light that we begin to see clearly. The kitchen light only benefits us if we’re in the kitchen or very close to the kitchen. Thus, our proximity to God determines how much of our world is illuminated. If we want more light in our lives, we must walk closer to Him.