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

In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven. Matthew5:16 ESV

As Christians, followers of Jesus Christ, we have the “light of life” that Jesus promises! We are freed by His love, we are forgiven of our sins, we are His children of light in this “dark” world. Now comes the hard questions.

Are we shining the light of life and reflecting His beautiful light for others to see? We all, and I include myself, need to pause and think for a minute or two.

Did I get frustrated and angry when the cashier made a mistake on my bill, or did I smile and say no problem as she apologized and corrected it?

Did I ignore the older woman who was struggling to return her grocery cart, or did I offer to take it back for her as I wished her a blessed day?

Did I give an exasperated sigh as a young mother tried to rein in her unruly toddler, or did I smile and offer her words of acceptance and encouragement?

Did I turn the other way when a homeless man approached, or did I look at him as “the least of these” and provide help?

Jesus never condoned sin, but He did love and have compassion for people. This verse actually follows the story of the young woman who was to be stoned for adultery. As the crowd called for punishment, Jesus paused and then instructed the crowd, “Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her.” John 8:7b ESV

When all her accusers had left, Jesus did not condemn her either but with compassion sent her away and told her to sin no more.

I think we all have had situations where, for one reason or another, we did not shine the light of Jesus. We are none of us perfect, no, not one. But this week, I challenge each of us to examine our interactions with others and evaluate our reflection of Jesus’ light of life. You may be the only “light” some people see in a day. Shine the light of Jesus into the darkness and draw others to Him. They will want to know what you have that makes you shine so!

I thank God for each of you! And I thank you for joining me this week as we strive to reflect the light of life of Jesus to others.

Blessings and light, joy and peace!