Following the Light

Then Jesus again spoke to them, saying, “I am the Light of the world; he who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life.”

JOHN 8:12 (NASB)

Light is an important aspect of our life, often showing the correct direction. At bedtime, after locking the front door I turn out all the extra lights and walk the darkened hallway towards our bedroom light. There have been occasions where I forget to switch on the bedroom light and find myself stumbling around in the dark for a bit before eventually finding the right door. Thinking of this reminded me of the common daisy that we see in drifts on lawns or meadows; they follow the light of the sun in the sky from sunrise to sunset. The scientific name for this behavior is heliotropism; as well as flowers some leafy plants exhibit the same behavior in following the sunlight. These plants follow the sun for a reason other than they like the heat; it is also beneficial to their growth and well-being.

As I pondered my old biology knowledge from my college days it occurred to me that Christians exhibit the same behavior as the humble daisy; not that we follow the sun in the sky, but that we follow the guidance of The Son of God – Jesus Christ. Our verse today highlights the value of our Christ-tropism (I made that word up!); He is the Light of the world we live in and if we follow Him He will guide us away from the darkness. The world without God is full of sin and darkness which pollutes our souls, leading us eventually to Hell and separation from God. In Christ our Light who leads us into the holiness of God, we have union with God and a certainty of a place in Heaven.

Dear reader, when summer returns and you see the humble daisy in the grass remember how you should copy them, not by following the sun but by following The Son of God. In your daily life seek Him every hour, and then at bedtime thank Him for His blessed presence, before you sleep in His care before the next day rises.

This is an updated edition of a post originally published on Devotional Treasures

About the Author

Devotional Treasures is a daily source of Biblical posts on various sources; they are free to all. These are written by me, Alan Kearns, and are inspired by my own private reading/study of God's Word.

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