The Israelites had something special as they started their journey towards home – they had the presence of God and were led by Him across the desert.
And the Lord went before them by day in a pillar of cloud to lead them along the way, and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, that they might travel by day and by night. – Exodus 13:21 ESV
Our prayers as followers of God has had these requests for God to continue to lead us with His light and His truth. We know in them we will have eternal life.
Send out your light and your truth;
let them lead me;
let them bring me to your holy hill
and to your dwelling! – Psalm 43:3 ESV
Jesus kept the call alive by illustrating that He in fact was that light and whoever follows Him will have eternal life.
Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” – John 8:12 ESV
I am challenged by Jesus as to what it means to be a disciple. First of all, He is my light and I follow. I will conduct my life as if I am in the kingdom of God now and not of this world. Because of that decision, I will no longer live in my past, my darkness, but rather will leave behind my ignorance, guilt and sin. I live now for Jesus.
Then Jesus gives me His Spirit to so that I can bear witness to the fact that I am indeed a child of God. With His light comes life.
Phineas Fletcher – speaking of the conversion of a soul to God, he says: –
“New Light new Love, new Love new Life hath bred;
A Life that lives by Love, and loves by Light:
A Love to him, to whom all Loves are wed;
A Light, to whom the sun is darkest night:
Eye’s Light, heart’s Love, soul’s only Life he is:
Life, soul, love, heart, Light, eye, and all are his:
He eye, Light, heart, Love, soul; He all my joy and bliss.”
Purple Island, Can. I. v. 7.
When Jesus says – I am the light of the world – it’s as if that one short sentence gathers all of His work and nature in one thought. It actually is shorter than that for – I am – is where it all lands. All of my experiences, as fragmented as they may seem, all draw together and come together with a sense of bringing me into the presence of Jesus. Hearing it, I am filled with strength and purpose and in it I find all my future experiences getting their meaning from it.
This life I live now continues. So I live now, in the action and presence of God with His people.
Disciple 