In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. ~ John 1:4-5, ESV

Quick Sip

A few weeks ago, I had to teach Ethan how Glow-in-the-dark things work. He has the awesome pair of PJ’s that have rockets on them and stars that glow-in-the-dark. One night he wanted to wear them but was upset when the stars didn’t immediately glow when he turned off the light. As I explained to him that the stars have to be in the light in order to shine in the dark, it occurred to me that the same is true for us.

We cannot shine Christ’s light to world around us, if we do not first spend time in the light.

The darkness around you may be obvious. You may live or work in circumstances that can only be characterized as dark. Whether this be a missionary to a godless country or a difficult family situation. However, for most us the darkness is less obvious.

For most of us, the darkness may be listening to co-workers tell an inappropriate story or making fun of someone. It may be the temptation to cheat or steal something insignificant at work because everyone else is doing it. Or it could be giving into depression and feelings of worthlessness because we’re believing Satan’s lies about us and our situation.

No matter what your darkness may be, in order to overcome it, you must spend time in the light. Once a week is not enough. How effective would the stars on Ethan’s PJ’s be if I only laid them in the light for a couple of hours on Sunday? They probably wouldn’t work very well. Neither do we.

In order to shine light into the darkness around us and in our own hearts, we need to daily spend time in the light. This may be a 15 min quiet time to begin your day or as you wait in a line. You can spend time in the light by listening to Christian music throughout your day or hanging Bible verses where you’ll see them. Another way I’m finding to hang out in the light is to memorize verses. It sounds tedious, but I’m actually finding it to be fun, since Ethan and I both say our memory verses each morning after breakfast.

Whatever ways you find to hang out in the light, try to make them part of your daily routine. Instead of checking the News Paper or Facebook while you wait for your morning coffee to brew, open up your Bible or Bible app. Read a few verses, think about what they mean, and how you can apply them. Or instead of listening to the radio on your whole drive to work, have your Bible app read you a few verses (Yes! YouVersion can easily do this.) Or if you like pictures of family around your work space, you might place the verse you’re praying for those family members on the photo frame to remind yourself to pray for them whenever you see it.

Spending time in the light doesn’t have to be completely inconvenient. Instead, you can add time in the light into your everyday life shining it in here and there. Soon you’ll find you’re spending more time in the light than the dark and when the darkness comes, your light will be ready to shine brightly.

Full Cup

John 8:12
Isaiah 42:16
Matthew 4:16
Matthew 5:14-16