MAY 3

OUR PERSONAL PROMISES

John 8:12

“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.”

Psalm 18:28

“For You will light my lamp; The Lord my God will enlighten my darkness.”

Psalm 27:1

“The Lord is my light and my salvation; Whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life; Of whom shall I be afraid?”

Matthew 5:14-15

“You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden.  Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house.”

Psalm 119:105

“Your word is a lamp to my feet And a light to my path.”

Psalm 139:11

“If I say, ‘Surely the darkness shall fall on me,’ Even the night shall be light about me;”

Psalm 139:12

“Indeed, the darkness shall not hide from You, But the night shines as the day; The darkness and the light are both alike to You.”

We have a few days left in the book   “100 NAMES OF GOD”  written by Christopher D. Hudson.  Each day we’ll take one Hebrew name for God as given in the Bible to study and relate to.  Then we’ll be changing to another book.

ORI

MY LIGHT

Psalm 27:1

“The Lord is my light and my salvation – whom shall I fear?  The Lord is the stronghold of my life – of whom shall I be afraid?”

Imagine a tent full of Boy Scouts with only one flashlight to share.  Midnight hikes to the outhouse would surely turn into comical adventures as all those scouts try to follow one small beam of light down a dark path.

The boy in front would see well enough, but those in the back would, at best, stub their toes.  At worst, they would march headlong into a tree.  In such a scenario, it wouldn’t be long before these boys started to wrestle over whose turn it was to hold the light!

But imagine if each scout had his own light.

Isaiah 10:17 tells us that God is the “Light of Israel.”  Isaiah 42:6 tells us He is the “light for the Gentiles”.  (non-Jews).

Psalm 27 reminds us that God’s light is for individuals too:  “The Lord is my light!”  David exclaims.  There’s individuality in that promise, as well as intimacy in a one-on-one  relationship.  God is the light of the world, but He is also MY light, and yours.

The implication are enormous.  Because God is your light, you don’t have to sit in darkness waiting for the light God has supplied to your pastor or mentor.  God is able to illumine YOUR heart.  In other words, you’re not dependent on your parents’ relationship with God or a spouse’s faith (or at least you shouldn’t be).  God will be YOUR light.  He will lead you uniquely as you both experience and “work out” your own salvation, as Paul tells us in Philippians 2:12.

This is not to say we should live isolated, independent lives.  God definitely calls us to live in community.  But that means being interdependent, not dependent.  God wants to be your individual light.  He wants you to join your light with  other believers so that corporately we might be a city on a hill, a light to the world.

Take a close look at one of the most oft-quoted verses in the Bible, John 3:16:  “For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.”  This speaks of the Church at large in the world and each individual believer.  He gives light to both.

Yes, God is the light  of the world.  But He also is YOUR light.

How has God’s light changed your life since you made Him your personal Lord and Savior?

PRAYER

You, Lord ORI, are the light to my path.  You guide and direct me as I make my way through this dark world.  Please shine in me, and through me, I pray.  Amen

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