Jan 2

Jan 2 The Spectacular Light of Jesus: Five Ways Our Lord is Like Sunshine

In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind.

—John 1:4

“Jesus, you are my sunshine.”

As a brand-new, baby Christian, stumbling across John 1, this was the note I recorded in the margin of my fresh Bible. I even doodled a little sunburst alongside it.

I was delighted with the idea of Jesus being a light to the world. I didn’t have the language for it yet, but I think somehow I knew this was exactly what had happened when I invited Jesus into my heart: light started to shine.

Let’s consider the nature of sunlight for a moment: a substance that is not only soul-filling, but crucial for daily life. It produces endorphins—those happy little hormones that bring a smile to your face—while fighting off illness, providing necessary nutrients, and ultimately leading to the flourishing of living things.

And Jesus? He is the light of our life.

I’d love to share five ways Jesus is our sunshine:

He is our source of life, both now and forever. (John 10:10)
He provides joy. (James 1:17, Galatians 5:22-23)
He enlightens us with knowledge. (2 Corinthians 4:6)
In him, we get to shine as our truest selves. (John 1:12)
In him, we experience the purifying act of sanctification. (John 3:21)

To begin, may we never forget that Jesus is our entirely crucial Savior. By his atoning sacrifice on the cross, we are gifted with life, both now and eternal, and are given the beloved title of being God’s children—children of the light.

Not only is he the reason for our eternal hope, but Jesus also provides us with a full life in the here-and-now.

…I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. John 10:10

His gifts are abundant; Jesus was with the Father during the creation of the world, and every single thing we enjoy in this world, that is beneficial for us, is the result of his doing. Every good gift comes from him. Let that strike you! Take a moment and consider some of your favorite things: the flavors, smells, sights, people… those are his creations.

Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights… James 1:17

We have the opportunity to soak in the grace of the Lord Jesus, daily. And when we put our faith in his atoning work on the cross, we are able to invite that light into the very depths of ourselves.

For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory displayed in the face of Christ. 2 Corinthians 4:6

When we look at Jesus, our hearts are enlightened with knowledge about God; we better understand his glorious nature. Just like sunshine cuts through the clouds on a dim and dreary day, the entering in of Jesus allows for the fog of our hearts and minds to be pierced as we embrace the most life-changing truth: that God is really, truly, so very, very good.

And what a splendid gift that we get to invite Christ himself to dwell in our heartsthrough faith. We are able to have him step into all the dark and dusty places deep inside of us—something might sound too good to be true if it weren’t for the help of the Holy Spirit!

Inviting the work of Jesus into our life means letting his light shine on all of it: the good, the bad, and the ugly.

It means stepping into your identity as God’s beloved child, and trusting that you are his handiwork, with life purposes scripted for you by the Author himself.

For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. Ephesians 2:10

Each of us are offered the invitation to bring our truest selves, created by God, into the light. He has gifted and skilled us each so beautifully—and like any good creator, he delights in what he has made.

But whoever did want him, who believed he was who he claimed and would do what he said, He made to be their true selves, their child-of-God selves. John 1:12, The Message

You are his delicately-woven-together masterpiece. Trusting that The Good Creator made you, and that he calls his work good is actually a form of humility. It’s placing yourself under the authority of God—and abiding by what he says is true. (More on that here.)

Trust your creator, and shine your light.

You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden.Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven. Matthew 5:14-16

So, we step into the light, in submission to the truth of God regarding ourselves and his purposes for lives. In this way, we are able to live the light-life we were intended for. And this little light of ours? It shines on the world around us, to the glory of God.

Now, it’s worth mentioning that coming into the light is kind of a two-part deal: we get to watch our truest selves shine, which can be a delightful experience, but it also means bringing the not-so-lovely parts of ourselves out into the open as well.

Coming into the light means allowing everything to be exposed… and that includes the sins, the struggles, the wounds, and the heartaches.

…whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of God. John 3:21

Sometimes, bringing our ugliest parts into the light can feel humiliating, dreadful even. But you can rest in the everlasting grace of God that he who called you into the light intends to heal the hurt places. He is faithful.

After all, we can’t heal what we don’t expose. And remember, the beautiful truth is this: you can allow sanctification to occur, resting in the truth that the fruit of the Holy Spirit’s work in us ultimately leads to greater, truer joy.

So, just like the sunlight shines on our bodies and grants us life and health, may the light of Jesus shine on your soul as you embrace him, bringing you to a fullness of living, and addressing the places that need some extra love and care.

Jesus: the giver of life, provider of joy, and our ultimate invitation to true, full living.

May we celebrate his goodness today!

Annalisa

P.S. - Check out this page for a cute little lock screen to remind your heart of these sweet truths. (password: daisy)