JohnBlog - Word&LightSample

JohnBlog - Word&Light Day 9

The eternal Light of the World, defines the absolutes that keep mankind spiritually alive. Whatever words you want to choose, absolutes are ultimately defined by the character of God communicated in Christ. You want to be righteousness (to do the right thing)?: let the light of Christ’s life bathe you and infuse you. You want to be good? Embrace the heart of Jesus. You want to acquire wisdom? Ask Jesus to replace your own with His. You want true knowledge? Study the teachings of the incarnate Prophet of God and those filled with his spirit. What is sin? A rejection of the light that shines into the world from the heart of God. What is immorality? Actions involving ourselves and others that damage the image of God in us and that can’t exist in the light without guilt. What is truth? Anything consistent with the light of God shining into His creation. What is error? Anything that grates with, sits awkwardly with, or outright contradicts, the teachings and life and implications of Christ.

How can darkness overcome light if it is merely the absence of light? By nature, evil and darkness, wrongs, hatred, selfishness, anxiety, self-righteousness, impatience, pride, self-importance, spitefulness, revenge, manipulation, disrespect and hopelessness, are lesser than light: lesser in substance, than goodness, righteousness, love, hope, meekness, joy. The latter are abiding qualities. To the degree that a person is plugged into the Light, these qualities are resilient, unassailable, powerful, affective, lasting – everlasting even. The qualities of darkness can be assailed in a moment: some of their effects might remain as wounds, but their power can be gone in an instance.

The Disciple:
Your light has rescued me Lord. Its healing and ennobling effects are as constant as the gravity that holds me to the ground. If I step off a cliff I fall. If I step into the light of your love I rise. However far I have strayed; however dark my light has become; however deep I have sunk; your name rescues me. Not the pronounced sounds spelling out the letters but your purpose, your essence, your spirit, which is always there to bring your person close. Face-to-face, Lord of all humanity with a beloved member of his creation, breathing life, making clear, lifting clouds, shining with contagious purity.