by Desiree Bustamante

In Him there is no darkness at all.

You can listen to today’s devotion by clicking this SoundCloud link.

“I have come as a light to shine in this dark world, so that all who put their trust in me will no longer remain in the dark.”
John 12:46 New Living Translation

As the end of the year approaches, daylight hours decrease and the sun grows less intense. The darkness seems even darker on a cold, cloudy night. We long for the winter to be over and for the light of Spring to come.

Yet the shadow of evil, sin and decay blanket our earth. It’s hard to find any light that overcomes the despair and hopelessness we feel at times. The darkness lives in us, too.

Jesus was born into a somber world. Israel was living under Roman oppression. 70% of people lived in poverty and taxes were nearly half their income. Slavery was common, especially if someone was in debt. Such a gloomy existence. Their only hope was clinging to Isaiah’s prophecy that foretold a great light, a Savior, was coming to shatter the darkness of their world.

And now we worship the Christ who came into the world as that beacon of hope. His light blazed through the deepest, blackest chasms of hopelessness. Nothing could obscure it.

When we feel the evil of this world closing in on us, we often focus on how much suffering exists and our joy drowns in a sea of despair. Instead, we should turn away from the darkness and toward the One who is the light of our heart. Christ’s radiant light devours all darkness so we can persevere by the light of His love.

We can’t generate our own light. Only Christ, the true light of the world, can shine through any depths of darkness imaginable.

“This is the message we heard from Jesus and now declare to you: God is light, and there is no darkness in him at all.”
1 John 1:5 New Living Translation

Copyright Holy Cross Lutheran Church, Colorado Springs, Colorado