"Let's Get Some Light in Here!"
Nov. 20, 2019
He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by Him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through Him and for Him. And He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. And He is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything He might be preeminent. For in Him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through Him to reconcile to Himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of His cross.
—Colossians 1:13-20 (ESV)
When I was a child reading, my mother would often come into the room, see what I was doing, and say, "Why are you reading in the dark? That's not enough light for your eyes! That's not good for you!" With a flick of a switch, she transferred me from the kingdom of darkness into a kingdom of light. Then she'd leave, muttering—until the next time I did it. (I was a slow learner.)
But this is very much what God has done for us, isn't it? Oh, not physically so much as spiritually. God saw that we were all of us sitting in darkness, lost without hope or joy or warmth or life. And because He loves us, He wasn't having that. He sent His Son Jesus to suffer, die, and rise for us, so that we could all of us be transferred into His marvelous light.
But as we rub our light-startled eyes, we should think: what kind of a light is it that we are sitting in? What is this Jesus like, who is the Light of the world, and our personal light through our daily lives also?
Paul explains for us. Boy, does he ever explain! This Jesus, he says, is not just our personal convenience—the One who forgives our sins and helps us with our daily problems, though He certainly does that. Jesus is much more. "He is the image of the invisible God," so that if we ever want to know what God the Father is like, we only have to look at Jesus. He takes the invisible and makes it plain to us.
But He is more than that. He is the One by whom all things were created, period—everything from angels to atoms and everything in between. He holds all those things together, moment by moment. It would all fly apart into nothingness if not for Him.
But there's more. Coming down to the human scale, Jesus is the head of the entire Christian church, which is His body. He leads us and protects us, and He is the One who went first into death and out the other side, into everlasting life. As His body, we will all follow Him. And He is the One who reconciled all things to Himself through His own death on the cross, cleansing us from sin and setting us free from evil. And not just us, but all things on earth or in heaven.
That is the light we have—Jesus Christ, Light of the world and of our lives as well. It's a lot to take in. And so often we forget about all that "god-ly" stuff, just as we forget about the roaring hydrogen furnaces and arching flares of the sun when we are sitting outside on a lovely day. It's okay for us to be loving and familiar with our Lord who loves us and comes close to us. But it's also great for us to step back once in a while and see exactly Who has given Himself to live in such an intimate way with us—our Lord Jesus, God of gods and Light of light.
THE PRAYER: Dear Lord Jesus, help me to see more of who You really are—and rejoice in it. Amen.
Reflection Questions:
- Do you know anyone who is important or famous to other people, either locally or farther afield? Who?
- What is the difference between your experience of that person and other people's experience of him or her?
- How does it make you feel when you stop to think about the many other aspects of the Lord's life and work, apart from those in which you know Him best? Why?
This Daily Devotion was written by Dr. Kari Vo. Use these devotions in your newsletter and bulletin! Used by permission; all rights reserved by the Int'l LLL (LHM).
Do you know anyone who is important or famous to other people, either locally or farther afield? Who?
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