The Light of the World

May 16, 2025

“…  I have come into this world, that those who do not see may see, and that those who see may be made blind.” (John 9:39)

 Jesus made the claim that He was the light of the world. He also commissioned His followers with the exhortation that we are the light of the world. From the statement quoted above we learn that the light of which our Lord was speaking is a very strange quality of light. It makes it possible for those who are blind to see and it reveals the blindness of those who think they see.

 When I was a child I lived near coal mines. One day there was a terrible explosion in a coal mine and 20 miners were trapped and isolated for three days in a small pocket of that mine. When they were rescued, there was great jubilation among the rescued miners and those who had broken through to them.

The celebration grew quiet when one of the rescued miners asked the question, “Why didn’t you guys bring any lights?” The rescuers had brought many lights, but the miner who asked the question had been blinded when the explosion happened. He had been blind for three days but in the mine’s pitch-black darkness he didn’t know he was blind until the light came.

The light that Jesus is – and the light He told us that we are – has that purpose and function. It reveals the spiritual blindness of those who think they see, and it gives sight to those who know they are spiritually blind. Jesus did not give us that light.

He told us we are that light. 

Are you willing to let the light of Jesus shine in and through you?

Dick Woodward, 18 May 2010


Living in the Light

January 7, 2025

“Only let us live up to the truth we now have.” (Philippians 3:16)

The Apostle Paul had a life changing experience on the road to Damascus. He shared the details of that experience in the third chapter of his letter to the Church at Philippi. It was as if his accounting books were turned upside down – what had been in the gain column was now in the loss column and vice versa.

After his books had been turned upside down (or we might say right side up) Paul’s ambitions totally changed in the gain column. He wanted to tackle the purposes for which the risen Christ had tackled him. Now he only wanted to know Jesus Christ and the high calling of God to which Christ was leading him.

Paul claims that he has not attained these things in his new gain column, but he has learned a principle about knowing the will of God: if we want to know the will of God we must live up to the Light and truth God has given us at any given time on our faith journey.

From Paul’s experience we can take away a prescription for guidance. If we want to see further ahead into the will of God for our lives, then we should move ahead into the will of God just as far as we can see.

Like driving across country at night when we move ahead into the 100 yards of light our headlights give us – that light can lead us clear across the country.

When we live up to the Light we have, God gives us more Light.

Dick Woodward, 08 January 2011