The Blog
Were you ever afraid of the dark as a kid? Did you leap into your bed so the monsters couldn’t grab your ankles or beg your parents to check your closet each night? We might not fear the monsters under our bed anymore, but darkness can follow us into adulthood. Instead of monsters, we are haunted by depression, political division, crushing debt, or any number of difficult circumstances.
With every news story we watch, the darkness can feel a little heavier. With every broken relationship or job loss, hopelessness can sneak in. And most of us will admit that our ways of coping aren’t always the healthiest. We often turn to social media, careers, or romantic relationships to feel alive and understood. These things feed us but only satisfy our hunger temporarily.
Jesus: The Light of the World
Light and life are inherently connected. You can’t have life without light. In nature, plants stretch to find sunlight. For example, if you put a vine in a dark corner, it grows long, thin branches toward the closest window. These branches produce few leaves and are weak. But place the vine nearer to the window and watch it flourish! In a world of distractions, influences, and injustice, it’s easy to find ourselves in a dark corner stretching toward imitations of true light. But light bulbs will always pale in comparison to the sun.
What if, instead, we reached our hands out to the true source of light? What if we got to know the One who created us and brought light and life to the world in the very beginning? We’ll grow spiritually and find a hope that doesn’t fade. And the darkness that pervades our lives will grow brighter and easier to bear.
Jesus: Our Hope
In the book of John, Jesus makes some powerful statements, including, “I am the light of the world” (John 8:12) and “I am the bread of life” (John 6:35).
What do these statements mean? Jesus created sunlight to bring physical life. He also brought spiritual light so that our souls can flourish. We’ll still experience darkness, and life will still be hard. We may lose loved ones and endure challenges, and we’ll face the realities of a sinful world. But when we turn our eyes to Jesus, there is hope. We become spiritually strong and healthy when we nourish ourselves with Jesus’ love.
Our Savior has invited us to be lights as well, reflecting His light to the world so those in darkness can thrive—and sharing Jesus, the bread of life, to satiate the spiritually hungry. Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life (John 14:6), guiding and sustaining us by His grace, and we’re invited to share the hope He offers with the lost.
Join us in Jesus: The Light and Life of the World, Part One of our Jesus series. We’ll dig into the book of John and other passages to discover who Jesus is. We’ll explore what Jesus meant when He said, “I am the light of the world” and “I am the bread of life.” As you study, we hope you’ll grow in your relationship with Christ and deeply connect to our source of light and life—so you can grow and flourish.
Jesus: The Light and Life of the World is available now. Pre-order your copy today!