Day 17

Christmas lights! One of my favorite things to do during this season is to drive around and look at Christmas lights. I love to sit in our family room with all the lights out except for the glow of the fire and white lights on the evergreen tree! It’s so peaceful and happy! Yesterday you read through and examined Isaiah 9:2-7.  I love how this passage begins:

The people who walked in darkness
have seen a great light;
those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness,
on them has light shone. —Isaiah 9:2

This describes our lives apart from Jesus! Let’s back up and look at some of the preceding verses:

But there will be no gloom for her who was in anguish. —Isaiah 9:1

And they will look to the earth, but behold, distress and darkness, the gloom of anguish. And they will be thrust into thick darkness. —Isaiah 8:22

Those are pretty intense and depressing word pictures: gloom, anguish, distress, darkness, the gloom of anguish, thick darkness.

But in Jesus, we who once walked in darkness have seen a great light and on us light has shone. Let’s read how this is fulfilled in the New Testament. Some of these are long passages, but I encourage you to take the time to be still, read through them slowly and savor all that Jesus has done for you!

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.
There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. He came as a witness, to bear witness about the light, that all might believe through him. He was not the light, but came to bear witness about the light.
The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world. He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him. He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.
And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. —John 1:1-14

Now when he heard that John had been arrested, he withdrew into Galilee. And leaving Nazareth he went and lived in Capernaum by the sea, in the territory of Zebulun and Naphtali, so that what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled:
“The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali,
the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles —
the people dwelling in darkness
have seen a great light,
and for those dwelling in the region and shadow of death,
on them a light has dawned.”
From that time Jesus began to preach, saying, “ Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. —Matthew 4:12-17

Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “ I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life. —John 8:12

I have come into the world as light, so that whoever believes in me may not remain in darkness. —John 12:46

Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land until the ninth hour. And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “ Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” that is, “ My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” And some of the bystanders, hearing it, said, “ This man is calling Elijah.” And one of them at once ran and took a sponge, filled it with sour wine, and put it on a reed and gave it to him to drink. But the others said, “ Wait, let us see whether Elijah will come to save him.” And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice and yielded up his spirit.
And behold, the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. And the earth shook, and the rocks were split. The tombs also were opened. And many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised, and coming out of the tombs after his resurrection they went into the holy city and appeared to many. When the centurion and those who were with him, keeping watch over Jesus, saw the earthquake and what took place, they were filled with awe and said, “ Truly this was the Son of God! —Matthew 27:45-54

Now after the Sabbath, toward the dawn of the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to see the tomb. And behold, there was a great earthquake, for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven and came and rolled back the stone and sat on it. His appearance was like lightning, and his clothing white as snow. And for fear of him the guards trembled and became like dead men. But the angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. He is not here, for he has risen, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples that he has risen from the dead, and behold, he is going before you to Galilee; there you will see him. See, I have told you.” So they departed quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy, and ran to tell his disciples. And behold, Jesus met them and said, “ Greetings!” And they came up and took hold of his feet and worshiped him. —Matthew 28:1-9

For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. —2 Corinthians 4:6

May you be strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy, giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light. 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. —Colossians 1:11-14

We no longer have to walk through our days discouraged, gloomy, or in anguish. We have seen a great light. We have been given the gift of light — Jesus, the Light of the world!

How will this knowledge change how you approach your day? Worship Him today!