Where's Your Light?

Scritpure:

John 14:15-24 (NIV)

“If you love me, keep my commands.  And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you.  I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.  Before long, the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live.  On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you.  Whoever has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me. The one who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love them and show myself to them.”

Then Judas (not Judas Iscariot) said, “But, Lord, why do you intend to show yourself to us and not to the world?”

Jesus replied, “Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching. My Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them.  Anyone who does not love me will not obey my teaching. These words you hear are not my own; they belong to the Father who sent me.

Devotional:

I often wondered why God would not reveal himself to some people.  Jesus stated that He would show Himself to those that love Him.  Judas asked why just to a few and not everyone.  As I read that and once again pondered it a thought came to my mind.  What if it isn’t that God doesn’t show himself to everyone?  What if it is that most people just refuse to see? 

Think of it this way.  A group of people go out for a hike at night.  Out in the woods it is dark along the path.  At the start of the journey there is a box full of flashlights and lanterns.  These can easily be picked up and used to show the way along the path.  The path would then be revealed to those with the ‘light.’  The flashlight is there for anyone to pick up but just a few choose to do so.  The path is then revealed to only those that have the light.  The other people have chosen to fumble around in the dark.  The ‘Light’ is there for all to see if they choose to see it.  It isn’t that the club is exclusive by design.  It is exclusive by the choices made by those who fumble in the dark.

If you are fumbling in the dark go and ‘pickup your flashlight.’  Jesus is waiting.  He is the “Light” of the world…