August 11: Proclaiming the Light
Isaiah 23:1–24:23; Luke 8:16–56; Job 5:17–27
Jesus affirms this sense of immediacy when He remarks, “And no one, after lighting a lamp, covers it with a jar or puts it under a bed, but puts it on a lamp-stand, so that those who come in can see the light” (Luke 8:16).
This line becomes even more profound when we consider what happens a short time later. After Jesus heals a demon-possessed man, He says to him, “Return to your home and tell all that God has done for you” (Luke 8:39). The man doesn’t wait for a better time. Instead, “he went away, proclaiming throughout the whole town all that Jesus had done for him” (Luke 8:39).
We may consider our encounter with Christ less significant than a man healed from demon-possession, but we, too, have been delivered out of the darkness and into the light. Like the demon-possessed man, we have been saved by Christ’s work. We can all boldly proclaim, as the hymn “Amazing Grace” says, “I once was blind, but now I see.”
In the busyness of our lives, focused on the work and worries of the day, it’s too easy for us to slip the light of Christ under the bed where no one can see it—and where we cannot see ourselves in its light. Do we talk as much about Christ and His great work as we do about our jobs? If not, perhaps we should rethink our approach. If this life is merely a prologue to the eternal life to come, shouldn’t the light become our main focus—both in our conversations and our actions? Why wouldn’t we proudly display it for all to see?
How can you live the light today? What needs to change in your conversation topics?
JOHN D. BARRY
Barry, John D., and Rebecca Kruyswijk. Connect the Testaments: A One-Year Daily Devotional with Bible Reading Plan. Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2012. Print.
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