A few weeks ago I received a text containing a link to a devotional along with the words "is Jesus alive in you?" I didn't recognize the number, so I chose to complete a quick Google search to see if I could shed some light on the mysterious message. As it t urns out, it was from a reputable website, but how my number managed to get out to them I may never know. What I do know is, Jesus is alive in me. I gave my heart to him over two decades ago. I have been sealed by the Holy Spirit and my name went into His book the very second I was baptized. From that day on, I've been a new creation. I've not lived a perfect, righteous, and holy life since then. I've succumbed to temptations and have sinned many a time since that day, but part of living as a new creation, is learning to turn away from the shadows and live in the light.
One of the many names of Jesus is Dayspring. The dictionary defines dayspring as "dawn." The Bible uses the word Dayspring to symbolize the morning sunrise or the beginning of a new era. Jesus is called Dayspring because He is the Light of the world. Like the morning sun, that pierces the darkness of night to usher in a new day, Jesus is the Light that dispels the darkness of sin in our world. His birth ushered in a new era where death would be defeated!
When sin entered the world, it was overcome by darkness. We were separated from our righteous God because of it. Darkness came to live inside of all of us. We were born into a broken world, our flesh prone to sin from the moment we took our first breath. But God! God took that darkness and He created Light. His Light was made available to us through the birth of His Son, Christ Jesus. A gift was given to us that we would never be able to earn and most certainly would never deserve. But God! Amen and hallelujah!
The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; a light has dawned on those living in the land of darkness.
Isaiah 9:2
Our souls crave Light. We try to fill that longing with every earthly thing imaginable, but nothing casts out darkness like pure Light. Darkness is unavoidable for us. Where there is darkness there is usually fear or shame. Even after accepting Jesus as my Lord and Savior, I've still had seasons in my life where I found myself in the dark, weighed down by my circumstances or afraid of the cost of living fully in the light. Far too many times I've allowed sin to dim the Light inside of me, but it can never be extinguished. Praise God! The nature of light is to expose the dark, to push back against it. Nothing can hide in darkness when there is Light.
In order to access that Light you must remember who created you, to Whom you belong to, and Whose family you are a part of. If you have already received God's gift of salvation, you are part of His eternal family and the Light lives inside of you. If you're not sure about where your relationship with Jesus stands, today you can choose to receive that gift. If you believe that Jesus is the Son of God, who came to earth to pay the debt of your sin, and you want accept His gift of salvation and allow Him to live in your heart forever, pray that to Him now! Let His Light burn brightly inside of your heart as you're welcomed into your forever family!
This Christmas season, I challenge myself and you, to live in the Light, to be a light for others, to spread the Good News of Jesus Christ to all those living in darkness. Although this world is infected with sin and death, one day we will live on a new earth. The garden will be restored and there will be no sun but the Son of God Himself to bring light where we will dwell with God forever.
O come, Thou Dayspring, come and cheer our spirits by Thine advent here;
Disperse the gloomy clouds of night, and death's dark shadow put to flight.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel.
Read the following scriptures for further study on the Light of the world:
John 1:4-5, John 8:12, Isaiah 60:19-20, Ephesians 5:8-11, Revelation 22:5-6, Matthew 5:14-16
Let your light shine, Reader. Merry Blogmas!
