Discovering Who Jesus Is: Seven Days on the Seven I Am StatementsSample

If Not Me, Another

You can’t stare at the sun without damaging your eyes, but you can stare at the moon for hours. And when you do, the moon is actually allowing you to enjoy the sun’s light that’s not safe to look at directly. In fact, all the moon’s light is borrowed.

In John 1, we read about the men who came to Jesus’ cousin John asking him who he was. They wanted to know, “Are you the sun?”

“No,” he said. “I am the moon. The sun is coming.”

And the Son did come. And John the Baptist rejoiced. Remember, the moon gives off no light of its own. Its glow belongs to another. We see it shine in the night sky, but it reflects the star that is the light at the center of our solar system.

It is impossible to overstate how vital light was in Jesus’ day. There were no streetlights, no flashlights, and no iPhone lights you could turn on. When the sun went down, you couldn’t flip a switch and bathe your home with light.

If the sun went down and you didn’t have a light with you, well, you were in very real danger. A lit lamp gave you safety and the ability to travel, read, talk with a friend, and cook food.

Jesus is God’s light come into our world to show us the way, comfort us, and illuminate our hearts and lives with His glory. When we have his light, we can see God clearly, we can see ourselves clearly, and we can see each other clearly. When the light dims, and we begin to stray from him, everything gets dim. We start to think we look better than we do.

I always think I look pretty good in airplane bathrooms. It’s the dim light. Unhealthy things grow in our hearts when we are in the dark. That is why we need constant exposure to his light, which sanitizes, purifies, and disinfects.

One of the reasons we read, memorize, meditate on, and apply God’s Word is because it gives us access to the light we need. Psalm 119:105 reminds us, “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path” (NKJV).

The light you find in God’s Word will reset the things that are out of whack in your heart and mind.

God is the sun; we are the moon. God made two great lights—the greater light to govern the day and the lesser light to govern the night (Gen. 1:16). We don’t produce any light, but as we follow his orbit round and round, we get to glow.

What’s beautiful about this arrangement is that it takes all the pressure off. You don’t have to conjure up the light; that’s the sun’s job. The moon doesn’t have to strain; it just needs to reflect.

At the moment of our salvation, Jesus puts his life and light inside us. Our job now is to keep from obscuring and hiding the light.

When the sun rises in the morning, don’t miss it. But also take heart knowing that you are not the sun; the responsibility to shine is not yours. It is God’s, and he loves you. Think of it: the most important person in the universe loves you!

So rest well.

Good night, moon.

Response

Think of a time when the light of Jesus impacted you. In what areas have you been carrying the pressure of being and doing and producing and straining? Ask God to show you the places you need to hand over to him and just rest and reflect.

Prayer

Lord, allow me to reflect your light today in everything I say and do.