Dear Friend,
Greetings, this Christmas day. Jesus said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” (John 8:12).
The great gift of Christmas is that Jesus has come to enlighten our personal relationships and create a wholesome community.
This is good news because the properties of light that benefit us in the physical world are now available in the relational realm. Who wants to walk in darkness, especially when it comes to our relationships?
Think of what light does. Light reveals. Light dispells. And light heals.
Light reveals. Walking in the light of Jesus reveals what’s going on within ourselves and those around us. We are apt to think that seeing our sin comes from living in darkness. This is because we associate darkness with evil. In reality, the opposite is true.
It’s a good thing when wrongdoing comes to light. The light of Jesus shows us where we’ve missed the mark so we can admit error (confess), take better aim (repent) and try again (obey).
We should rejoice and be glad that we can point out one another’s faults. Imagine living in a world where no one can discern right from wrong. It would be like hunting with a group of archers at night, not knowing where our arrows are flying or seeing the target.
Light dispells. Once we see what’s wrong, darkness goes away, and what is brought into the light becomes light. (Ephesians 5:13). The most heinous sins disappear in the light, and shame vanishes. Light always overcomes darkness. (John 1:5).
And Light heals. The light of Jesus not only banishes darkness, it heals the wounded heart and mends the conscience. Scripture says, “The Sun of Righteousness will rise with healing in his wings.” (Malachi 4:2). When we walk in the light – revealing what’s there and driving the darkness away – the healing process begins. “In God’s light, we see the light” (Psalm 36:9) so that disease can be thoroughly cleansed and cured. This is why the Light of Jesus is always associated with his Life. “In him was life, and the life was the light of men” (John 1:4).
Merry Christmas,
Chris Halverson
“The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light:
they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them, hath the light shined.”
(Isaiah 9:2)