“When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, ‘I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.’" (John 8:12, NIV)

What stuck out in my mind is ‘light’!

It is mentioned two times in this verse.
1. I am the light of the world.
2. Have the light of life.

Two comparisons and contrasts were found too:
1. Light v.s Darkness
2. Followers of Jesus v.s Followers of self  

I also saw a connection between these 2 contrasts:
1. Followers of Jesus will have Light.
2. Followers of self will have darkness.

I realized Jesus is speaking this verse to the Pharisees and Scribes who originally brought to Jesus a woman accused of adultery. Jesus addresses that situation at hand and now personally addresses them.

I asked myself why would Jesus refer to Himself as “I am the light of the world” to the Pharisees and Scribes?

It occurred to me that they would be well versed in the law and the Books of the Torah. It is very possible they had head knowledge without practical application of Scripture.

With that head knowledge, they could recall that Jehovah addressed Himself as ‘I AM’ to Moses so Jesus utilizes that!

Now Jesus goes a step further and says that He is the ‘I AM’ that they know of from the Torah. Jesus does not stop there but lets them know, “I AM the Light of the world”

I asked myself what’s the significance of Jesus’ claim to be the light of the world?

To know the significance, first I thought about the functions of light. What came to my mind is visibility, pathway, and direction. This is what Jesus is telling them that He can be in their lives.

They are supposed to know the Torah well. That means they would already know that Jehovah revealed Himself as ‘I AM’ to Moses and the Israelites. Not only that, but during the Israelites escape from Egypt, the Pharisees and Scribes would have known that VISIBILITY, PATHWAY, and DIRECTION played a crucial role for the Israelites deliverance.

This is because the Lord intervened in the Israelites life to give them visibility, pathway, and direction as they fled from Egypt during the night.

Guess in the form of what?

The Lord intervened in a pillar of fire to give them visibility, pathway, and direction so they can have light in the night to travel. This is evidenced by a verse in the Torah that the Pharisees and Scribes should have known:

“By day the Lord went ahead of them in a pillar of cloud to guide them on their way and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, so they could travel by day or night. Neither the pillar of cloud by day nor the pillar of fire by night left its place in front of the people.” (Exodus 13:21-22, NIV)

The Lord was ahead of them and all they needed to do was to follow. If they did not follow, they would not have had visibility, pathway, or direction. Instead, they would have continued to be lost in the darkness. If that continued, they would have become prisoners again to Pharaoh because they did not follow the light but decided to walk in the darkness and get captured.

Now Jesus is making a profound statement to them by claiming, “I AM the Light of the world.”

Jesus wants them to know if they follow Him they will be guided by the light of life but if they do not they will walk in darkness without having visibility, pathway, and direction. Jesus wants them to follow Him as He walks ahead of them giving them the light of life.

They have a choice to follow Jesus and experience the light of life or continue to follow their own ways and eventually find themselves in the darkness of death.

I saw important implications for my own life. Just as God revealed Himself to the Israelites as ‘I AM’ and later went ahead of them to give them light so they can be delivered from the bondage of slavery from the Egyptians as long as they followed Him, Jesus has revealed Himself to me as ‘I AM’ + the ‘Light of the world’.

As long as I follow Jesus in this world walking before Him, I will have visibility, pathway, and direction for He will be leading me in His Light. This means I will not me stuck walking in the darkness, becoming a prisoner to the bondage of sin. 

Majority of the time sin manifests itself in the darkness but Light exposes it.

Jesus wants to be my Light so I can have the light of life when I follow Him and be delivered from darkness in this world. It starts with following Jesus and His ways. Jesus is the captain who gives the visibility, pathway, and direction for my life. That is so exciting to know!

As the stars light up the sky they become really bright as you draw closer to them. The closer you draw near to them, they shine more. Yet, far away too you can see their radiance.

In the same way, as people inspect my life closely, I want them to see that I shine brightly as a light because I choose to live for the Light of the World. And that my light comes from the Light of the World.

Even far away if people hear about me and the celebrity status given to me, what I want them to know is it is Jesus that lights up my life as I seek Him daily for visibility, pathway, and direction.

If they know about me, I want to use that opportunity to help them know about Jesus Christ so as He works in their lives, they can come to know Him personally as their Lord and personal Savior too!

Light covers over the darkness and helps people find the right pathway. Jesus can be that Light for you.

I ask you now dear friend, what light do you follow?
Friends, I say 'what light' because some people think about ‘bud light’ or ‘cigarette light’.  I am going to give both of them a personality and write two personification poems called 'BOOZE ON THE RUN' and 'NICOTINE OF TO DIE'

BOOZE ON THE RUN
By Ramesh C. Reddy

Making you a prisoner they call me booze.
Have a tendency to make you loose.
If you hang around me too long.
Your loved ones will sing a dirge song.
You think getting drunk is cool. You won’t when I rule.
I give a black out.
And a stinking mouth.
Make no doubt.
You have entered a killer route.
Heard about sclerosis of the liver.
Well I am the giver.
Heard about abuse.
Well I let you blow a fuse.
I become your boss.
I can your life toss.
I have never come to a loss.
Some take me in as Coors
Every body it negatively tours
Some take me in as Miller lite or Bud light
What ever the name, me you won’t be able to fight
Addiction is my secret weapon of choice.
I only fear addicts listening to the Lord’s voice.
Cause His voice has the healing power through the noise.
He has a way of bringing my addicts to the cure.
Making my business go down for sure.
Then I am stuck.
Unable to make the buck.
Cause the Lord is real.
Sending the help to heal.
The pain I will feel.
I am booze on the run.
My future is done.
With the Lord on your side.
Cause He will be your guide!

‘BTW, I do not believe drinking is a sin unless you get drunk but different people’s body metabolism is different so it is just best to stay away from the drink before it makes you sink.

NICOTINE OF TO DIE
By Ramesh C. Reddy

Destroying life, my name is Nicotine!
I am no worse than a guillotine!
Some smoke me to be cool.
Others smoke me because I rule
Once they are hooked, they are mine
Their life is cooked as they dine
In the long run not feeling fine
My Tobacco companies are making a killing for dough
Regardless of whether sickness becomes your foe
They tell you to look at the Camel, Joe
Being surrounded by beauties and blondes as you go
Giving you a false message, you need to know
They tell you to look at the Marlboro man
Encouraging you all to be his fan
Not minding killing anyone they can
You are all my pawn
I can manipulate your life and money at dusk or dawn
In my clutches, your money and life is soon gone
Only a few have escaped from me
Once you let me in, your partner I will be
Before you divorce me from your life, you will see
I would have already collected a huge alimony fee
And money still to come becomes my profit key
I am loving at first when you take your first puff
But later I deal death that’s rough
To escape from me, you are not tough
I am a drug that will give you a bug
I make sure I get my way
Even to this very day
I am glad I get my pay
Only Christ I fear, I want to say
He has a way of keeping my business in a bind
Healing and recovery from my addiction, people find
Once they have Christ’s love and healing touch, cigarettes they mind
They always turn to Christ, who is so loving and kind
I heard He’s a Great Physician who heals
Hope, faith, and love He always deals
No matter what other's have done, compassion He feels
And with His cleansing Blood, sin He seals
I am Nicotine with a guillotine!
My opponent Jesus Christ is the Light
He alone I cannot fight!
So I hope to keep you away from His sight
I am afraid of His healing might
That will make my profits sink day or night!

These two can hurt us in the long run from having visibility, pathway, and direction if we let them be the light in our lives.

But, there is a Light that can give you visibility, pathway, and direction. Jesus claims to be that Light for He is the Light of the world and promises that if we follow Him we will not stumble in the darkness but living light will flood our path.

Don't wait until you give up drinking or smoking to come to Jesus. Come as you are and give Him your life to be the true Light in your life. Allow Him to work in you and don't feel you have to take the burden on your own. Jesus is there to take your burden. Yes, He is friend!  Sometimes it happens overnight miraculously and at other times, it is a process but do not give up!

The best thing Satan would want is to discourage you and make you feel that you are not fit to be in the Kingdom of God if you get drunk or smoke, but Jesus came for those who are weak and struggle, not for those who think they are righteous. So hold on to Jesus and you will be holding on to hope!

That can happen in your life too friend. Jesus wants to be your Light. He loves you so much and wants to go ahead of you and wants you to follow Him.

He wants to deliver you from whatever you are faced with that is making you a prisoner in the darkness. Yes, He does!!! He loves you and offers Himself to you.

Won’t you take the only Light that matters?

Allow the Light of Jesus to permeate your life this Christmas season of 2007 and allow Him to be in your life for He wants to! He will bring change and transformation in your life. That is exciting to know!

Ask the Lord Jesus to light the fire in your heart again if you know Him but have gone your own way. He will friend, yes He will. He loves you so much. No matter what we go through, He is there even through the trials and tribulations.

Listen to the Vineyard Music background song called 'Light the Fire Again' if you are using IE.

Lord’s Illuminating Guidance Helps Throughout! (L.I.G.H.T)/”What light will you follow?”

If you want to know the Light of the world, pray this prayer with me and mean it in your heart this Christmas season 2007!

Prayer:
Jesus, it is so exciting to claim your promise for what you have claimed. You are the Light of the world and if we follow you, we will not walk in the darkness but will have the Light of Life! Thank you Jesus for offering your light to me! Jesus I want to have your Light in my life as you go ahead of me so I can have visibility, pathway, and direction in my life. Help me Jesus. Right now I am in darkness and need deliverance from the bondage of sin. I cannot deliver myself without following you for you are the initiator to deliver and I want to follow. So right now, I say I am so sorry for my sins. I repent of my sins and confess of them. Please forgive me and help me to turn from them. Thank you for wanting to be my Light. This means a lot to me. I accept you Jesus into my heart and make my heart your home. Please come in Jesus and Light the darkness of my heart with your blazing light. Light the fire in me, purifying me by your Holy Spirit dwelling in me please Jesus. Thank you so much Jesus and I will live for you and serve you the rest of the days of my life as I accept your cleansing of my sin with your precious cleansing blood. Now I do acknowledge you as my Lord and Personal Savior. Thank you for being my Lord and Personal Savior. Thank you that you have heard my prayers and answered me. In Your Name I Pray Jesus! Amen! Thank you that I belong to you now and you have become my Light! Amen!
 

Make this your prayer. Don’t let the enemy deceive you into thinking you need all the answers before coming to Christ. Let me just assure you though you may not have all the answers right now before coming to Jesus, He will answer them slowly. Yes, He will for I know our Redeemer will! Amen!

Prayer:
Jesus, I thank you for being the Bread of Life. You are the Living Bread of my life. Thank you for coming from Heaven and giving your life for the life of the world. You sacrificed yourself for humanity. Thank you Lord when we eat of you symbolically making you part of our life, digesting what you teach us by following you, we can be living Eternally, and the fruit that comes will reflect and resemble your life. I want that Father God. I want that Lord Jesus! I want that Holy Spirit! I know of a lot of people who partake of Holy Communion where the bread represents your body broken for their sin and the juice represents your blood shed for their sin. When we partake of Holy Communion, we are reminded that we are remembering you. I want to remember you always Lord Jesus. But for me to remember you always, I need to know you and acknowledge everything you said you are. So right now I acknowledge that you are my Lord and Personal Savior who died and rose again to give me life from sin. So right now, I come to you and say how sorry I am for my sin and living a life on my own. I repent of my sin and ask you to forgive me of my sin with your cleansing blood which I accept. Wash me and I will be clean from this infection of sin. Come Lord Jesus and please become part of my life as you live in me and I will live for you. I thank you Jesus for coming into my heart and making my heart your home. Thank you for living in me Jesus and I will live for you and serve you the rest of the days of my life. I do need your Spirit to reside in me and work in me and through me so I surrender all that I am and will be to you. Whatever your will is for me, please give me the strength and willingness to bear it and rejoice in you. Thank you so much Jesus for saving me this Christmas season of 2007. I thank you Jesus for becoming my Lord and Personal Savior. I thank you Jesus you have heard my prayer and have answered me. I thank you that I am your child Oh God. I thank you for becoming my only Way to Eternal Life. In Your Name I Pray Jesus! Amen!

Friend, you may feel something or you may not but this you can be assured that the Lord Jesus has come into your life and will give you a new beginning! Amen!

Get yourself involved in a campus Bible study, fellowship, and most of all find a Bible believing church and be involved to grow in your Christian walk with the Lord. They all need to be supplements for your own precious time with the Lord in prayer and meditating on His Word. If you need a Bible, please let me know!

If you need anyone to talk to, pray with, or study the Bible with this Winter of 2007, you can email me at reddy4hisglory2004@yahoo.com or call me at 412-720-4579.