Walking in the Light

Bible Reading: John 11:9-10; 12:46; 1 John 1:5-7

“Owie, ooh, ow, who put that there? OOOUUUCH!”

Mandy heard the commotion and peered into her sister’s bedroom, flipping the light switch on the opposite wall. “Um, Aubrey, what are you doing?”

Aubrey straightened up, rubbing her knee, and answered ruefully, “I was looking for my book.”

“In the dark?”

“Well, I thought I could find it without having to turn on the light. And I would have too, if it weren’t for this dumb old thing.” At this, Aubrey kicked the table, then reeled back, holding her toe. “OWWWW!”

Mandy grimaced. “Oh, Aubrey.” She sighed. “All you needed to do was flip on the light switch.” She turned to leave, then paused thoughtfully. “You know, I learned in Sunday school last week that many people in the world are walking in darkness too.”

Aubrey looked skeptical. “You learned in Sunday school that people actually walk around in dark rooms, without turning on the light?”

Mandy smiled and plopped herself down on the bed. “Not exactly. We learned that Jesus said in the Bible that if we don’t follow Him as our Savior, we’re abiding in darkness.”

Aubrey scratched her head. “Soooo, what does abide mean?”

Mandy explained. “To abide means to live somewhere. So, abiding in darkness basically means that we live in the dark, trying to find our own way around instead of trusting and obeying Jesus.”

“Oh. So anyone who hasn’t trusted Jesus as their Savior is abiding in darkness?”

Mandy nodded. “Right. If someone doesn’t know Jesus, they’re stumbling through a life of sin, but they may not even realize it because they can’t see in the darkness—like how you couldn’t see that table was in your way. But, if we allow Jesus to light the way, we’ll always be able to see what’s in front of us. If we trust in Him, He walks with us and shines His light in our lives. He helps us turn away from sin and empowers us to live in the light of His love. I bet you wish you’d had someone to turn the light on for you earlier, huh?”

“Yeah, definitely.” Aubrey smiled and rubbed her sore knee. “I want to walk in the light!” (Eliana Canfield)

How About You?

Are you walking in the light? Or do you live in the dark? Without the light of Jesus in our lives, we are stumbling in the darkness of sin, unable to see what’s in front of us. But when we trust in Him, He walks with us and shines His light into our lives so we can do what’s right. Do you have His light in your life? If not, trust in Him today! (To learn more, click the “Good News!” button in the right column of this page.)

Today’s Key Verse: John 8:12 [Jesus] said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” (NIV)

Today’s Key Thought:

Walk in the light