Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” John 8:12 (ESV)
Light it Up
My grandmother was the type of housekeeper that makes all other housekeepers despair. You could eat off of any floor in Nonnie’s house. To me as a child, it seemed like nothing was ever out of place, and her house was perpetually clean.
I did not inherit her gifts in this area. 🙂
When I was in college, the house across the street from my parents’ house went up for sale, and my grandparents decided to move. The house had been owned by elderly people who did not have my grandmother’s fastidious habits.
Gunk in the Corners
The lighting was not very good, but once they got some bright light in the kitchen so they could clean and paint it. In the corners of the kitchen floor, there was years of dirt and grime built up. It wasn’t noticeable at all until you turned the bright light on it. With the light, the gunk became obvious. It took strong floor stripper and quite a bit of elbow grease to get those corners clean, but by the time Nonnie and Papaw moved in, the house was immaculate.
The Corners of Our Hearts
Isn’t that like what our lives are like sometimes? We go on about our lives and ignore the dust and dirt that can build up in the corners of our hearts.
In John 8, Jesus refers to Himself as the Light of the World. I have heard this all my life. I think of it as a spotlight, like those ones that you can see from miles around. The spotlight draws people to come and see what is being illuminated.
The Spotlight of the World
The Light of the World can draw all men to Himself. However, when Jesus shines His light, it doesn’t just draw people, it illuminates us.
Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” John 8:12 (ESV)
The Light shines in the corners of our hearts and brightly reveals all the gunk that we have been ignoring or not noticing. Resentment, bitterness, sin, greed, gossip, and so many more issues can be accruing in the corners of our lives.
When the Light of the World enters your life, what will He see in the corners of you heart?
Action Step:
It’s time to take stock of the state of my heart. Time to light it up! Let’s shine a light on the inside by examining those areas of our life that we have been segmenting away from God. Those issues that we wouldn’t want others to know about. Those are signs that the gunk is building up in the corners.
Prayer:
Dear God, please help me to have the courage to shine your light on the places in my heart that I want to ignore or gloss over. Enable me to be brave and clean out the corners. In Jesus’ name, amen.
If you have missed the first seven chapters of John, check them out here!