God is the light of the world

I am sure some of you started the New Year with the goal of reading the Bible in a year. In previous years, when I had this goal I would listen to the audio version of the Bible while I walked or completed other tasks. Last year, I decided to spend more intentional time in reading the Bible so I would sit, and read, and meditate on what I read. I immediately noticed a difference as I read that “the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep” (Genesis 1:1-2, NIV). I know I had read this verse countless times before and heard it in my audio version, but I never READ those words. I imagined what it must have been to dwell in darkness. I previously shared how much this resonated with me and one of my readers shared that it reminded them of CS Lewis “The Magician’s Nephew” where the lion Aslan (representing God) creates the world of Narnia by singing. As I started reading the Bible again this year, these verses drew me in deeper than they did last year. The next verse states that “God said, “Let there be light", and there was light” (Genesis 1:3, NIV). The world went from being formless and empty to being filled with light-can you imagine that moment?

I have previously shared that this past year, the past few years, have definitively been a walk through the shadows that have brought me to a relationship with my Heavenly Father versus a knowledge of His existence. As I read these verses, I very quickly correlated the darkness of the world to how my life was before God. I constantly caught and hungered for the next victory, for the next win but was never satisfied. No matter what was gained or achieved, there was always a void that could not be filled. As my faith in God continued to grow, the darkness slowly ebbed away. Now, as I have traveled the path where I had no choice but to turn my life over to God to survive time and again, I see nothing but light. Nothing else changed. I haven’t accomplished any more or less than before. I am still driven and seeking victories, but it is for His glory and not mine-it makes all the difference in the world. A life with light is so much greater than one dwelling in darkness and constantly seeking.

There is nothing in this world that can bring greater light than a relationship with God. There are no riches, titles, or victories that can ever give the fulfillment achieved with having a relationship with God. I have attended church for as long as I can remember, I always believed in God, but there is a distinct difference when you recognize God in your everyday life. He never leaves your side and His light is not only for you, but for you to share with others.

Today, I pray that you take the time to be intentional in your reading of the Bible. I pray the you pause, and reflect on what you read. I pray that you choose to fill the endless void with the only thing that can bring light and fulfillment in your life, a relationship with God.

If you like what you read, please share with a friend and help spread the word of God.