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“I want to walk as a child of the light. I want to follow Jesus. God set the stars to give light to the world. The star of my life is Jesus.”
In the beginning, God called light into existence, separating the light from the darkness. God called the light Day and the darkness Night. When Adam and Eve disobeyed their Creator, sin entered the world and created a different kind of darkness. It is the darkness of sin, the shadows of evil stirred up as people turn away from the light of God and from His Word and ways. But when the time was right, God sent His Son to be the Light of the world. Then, too, there was a separation between the light and darkness, between those who believed in Jesus and those who chose the darkness and sought to destroy the Savior. For a short time, darkness was permitted to have the upper hand as Jesus suffered and died for the sins of the world. But Jesus is the light no darkness can overcome. He rose to life in victory over the darkness of sin and death, bringing the light of forgiveness and salvation to all who trust in Him.
The apostle Paul describes those who trust in Jesus: “For you are all children of light, children of the day. We are not of the night or of the darkness” (1 Thessalonians 5:5). We sing in our hymn, “I want to walk as a child of the light.” How do we walk as children of light? The hymn provides the answer: “I want to follow Jesus … the star of my life is Jesus.” We walk as children of light by following Jesus. Through our thoughts, words, and actions we shine as lights in the world as Jesus’ love shines through us.
We are living sparks of light shining in a world lost in the shadows of sin. At home, at work, in church and everywhere we go, we are light. Following Jesus, we respond to others as He did and show compassion and kindness toward the people we meet each day. There is still a division between the light and the darkness. As children of light, we often think, speak, and act differently than those around us. Living in the light of Jesus, we stand firm in faith when it becomes necessary to speak against the darkness that finds its home in our world. The light that shines out of our lives is a light of forgiveness and hope. We like to talk about the light as we tell others about Jesus, the Light of the world. We pray that in the power of the Spirit, they will follow Jesus and walk with us as children of light!
WE PRAY: Jesus, I want to walk as a child of the light. I want to follow You. Amen.
This Daily Devotion was written by Dr. Carol Geisler. It is based on the hymn, “I Want to Walk as a Child of the Light,” which is number 411 in the Lutheran Service Book.
Reflection Questions:
- Which do you like better, sunrises or sunsets? Can you remember a favorite one you’ve seen?
- If we are “children of light,” how should our lives reflect this in the way we live and speak?
- How can our lightness be a blessing in the lives around us?
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