His Ambassador Blog

Last week we studied about how Jesus is the Bread of Life. That is the first ‘I AM’ statement in the book of John. Jesus is the ‘food’ for our soul. He is essential for satisfying our spiritual hunger. The second ‘I AM’ statement that Jesus uses to describe Himself is that He is the Light of the World. 

Unfortunately, the world we live in is overcome with darkness. Sin is everywhere you look, and evil is not hiding. Human beings are born into this darkness and even have that darkness within them. Sin eats away at our hearts and souls until there is nothing left. We are, at our core, miserable creatures. The entire earth is a prisoner to the darkness. It surrounds us. Isaiah 64:6 says, “But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousness are as filthy rags: and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.” We are awful, but God…Jesus is the light of the world and when we encounter Him our lives are COMPLETELY changed for eternity. 1 John 1:5 says that God is light. There is absolutely no darkness, sin or evil, found in God. When Jesus shows us the light:

We are made aware of the darkness of sin in our lives.

1 John 1:8 states, “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.” Every single human is born into sin. We are all evil at heart. Romans 3:23 reminds us that we all sin. We have all fallen short of His glory. When someone encounters the Light of the World, he/she is made aware of the sin in his/her life. That feeling of conviction will eat at you until you repent and ask Jesus for forgiveness. Before you can walk in light, you must recognize that you are living in darkness. Jesus’ light is the truth that we are sick and in need of a healer. That we are sinners in need of a Savior. Once you are made aware of the light, it is your choice whether or not to leave the darkness behind. God will not force you to love Him or to abide by Him. It is our responsibility to accept the invitation that Christ freely gives. 

If we choose to step into light, Jesus cleanses us from our sin. 

1 John 1:7 says, “But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.” If you have repented, believed that Christ is King, and confessed that He is your savior, you will be cleansed form your sin. Those who surrender to Christ are made new and the old person is gone away. God no longer views us as who we were, but now we are His children, made new and redeemed by the blood of Jesus. The truth of Christ, the light, allows us the opportunity for salvation. Walking in light is walking in the beauty and holiness of God. Much like the earth around us, the trees and flowers and living creatures, we need light to survive. The sun keeps us warm, allows us to see what is in front of us, and even provides helpful nutrients. We need the Son to bring light to the inside of us, our heart and soul. 

We must walk in the light.

Sunflowers are beautiful but they have a very interesting trait about them: Sunflowers are phototropic. Which means that during the day, the flower will actually move in order to constantly be facing the source of light, which is the sun. Much like sunflowers, we can’t help but constantly look towards the Light once we have encountered Jesus. Genuine love for Jesus will leave us wanting more goodness, more beauty, more joy, more peace, and so on. We must not lose this desire for the light because that desire will allow us to walk in the light. Ephesians 5:8 says, “For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of the light.” We are commanded to live a life that is honoring to God, which means living as Jesus lived and following His example. 1 John 2:5-6 says, “But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in him. He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also to walk, even as he walked.” Those who have stepped into light cannot live in darkness. We can’t claim the name of Jesus, yet live by the ways of the world. There are no ‘one foot in, one foot out’ arrangements with God. It is all or nothing. Instead of continually living in sin, like we did when we were living in darkness, we should repent of any sin we commit so that we can stay close to Him and continually be in His presence. 

I am so thankful that I have encountered the light. I no longer live in a place of darkness and separation from God. Instead, I have fellowship with Him. I am joyful, I have peace, I partake in goodness and righteousness. Knowing this light does not come without its proper responsibilities. Like Jesus represents the light to us, we must represent the light of Jesus to others. Matthew 5:16 says, “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.” When others see us, they should see the light and love of Jesus Christ radiating from our actions, words, and lifestyle. Jesus has given us the task of representing Him here on earth, being ambassadors if you willJ, and we must be the light for others. There is a quote by Jen Hatmaker that I love, and it is such a great reminder for myself, “People may hate us because of Jesus, but they should never hate Jesus because of us.” We must live in a way that glorifies Him, a way that encourages others to want a part in His family. We are light bearers. Children of the light. We must take that title seriously. 

To be in the light is truly life and to be bearers of that light is so rewarding. It is my prayer that you, reading this, have found the light. My heart breaks for those I know, family and friends, who are still living in darkness. But my prayer is that I would represent the light well to them.