Christmas is a time of lights—glowing candles, glimmering Christmas trees, houses twinkling with lights. Although the beauty of those lights may seem superficial, their beauty can hold deeper meaning if we allow them to remind us that a bright star led the wise men and that the star led them to Jesus, who would be “The Light of the World.” Jesus said that those who followed Him would “never walk in darkness.” (John 8:12NIV)

What does light do? It allows us to see what we could not see in darkness. In the Old Testament one of the psalm writers testified that the Word of God is “a light for my path.” (Psalm 119:105NIV)  The Word of God enables us to see clearly to walk on the path that leads to finding salvation through Jesus, planned “before the creation of the world” (I Peter 1:18-21NIV), and to living in a way that pleases God. After Jesus came to the world, John told us that Jesus was “The Word” and that He “became flesh and made his dwelling among us.” (John 1:1&14NIV) What an amazing God! It wasn’t enough just to send messages. He came to deliver the message in person.

John also told us that Jesus was the “true light.” (John 1:9NIV) That’s a warning that there are some other lights that will not enable us to stay on the right path. In our society today, there are some who represent themselves as beacons of light, while behaving in ways or standing for things that go against what the Word of God teaches. You have probably seen the effect that ultraviolet light has on the way things appear. It’s much different than the way things appear in visible light. We need to practice seeing the world through the “visible light” of the Word of God so that we will recognize the difference when someone tries to show us the world through the “ultraviolet light” of deception.

Those of us who have received the light of Jesus are now “light in the Lord.”(Ephesians 5:8NIV)

Now that Jesus is in Heaven, we must reflect His light and provide light to the people in this world. We are to “shine among them like stars in the sky” as we “hold firmly to the word of life.” (Philippians 2:14-16NIV)  One little star by itself can’t provide much light to the world, but together we can illuminate the world. So let the lights of Christmas help us remember that now we are to be the lights for this dark world.

Scriptures taken from the Holy Bible,  New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright© 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. TM Used by permission of  Zondervan.  All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com The “NIV” and “New International Version” are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc. TM