{"id":11656,"date":"2024-12-25T03:00:00","date_gmt":"2024-12-25T08:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.honestreflections.net\/?p=11656"},"modified":"2024-12-25T06:39:11","modified_gmt":"2024-12-25T11:39:11","slug":"light-of-the-world","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.honestreflections.net\/index.php\/2024\/12\/25\/light-of-the-world\/","title":{"rendered":"Light of the World"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Five-minute read.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, \u201cI am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.\u201d<\/em><\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

John 8:12<\/em><\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Christmas lights bring joy to my heart. Driving to our church\u2019s small group, we saw twinkling sparkles of color along our way. Nativity scenes with the Star of Bethlehem shining brightly above them highlighted the babe lying in a manger. We have a wooden nativity sitting in front of our chimney. Ron puts a spotlight on the white wood base that highlights the silhouette; behind it, the star twinkles, hanging from the brick, lighting up the neighborhood.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYour decorations bring me much joy.\u201d One of our long-time neighbors thanks us every year after we hang the lights and set the timer. In addition to our decorations, Ron lights up the community gazebo across the street from our house. This year, he added a Christmas tree made of white lights, the focal point of the small manger-like structure. Jesus\u2019 entrance into the world brought a light that will never diminish.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When we share the Savior with others, we dispel darkness and give them hope. Following Jesus lights our path and allows us to do the same for others. Our words and actions introduce the Savior to those who may not meet Him any other way. For some people, we become their Bible, the only one they ever read. Living an intentional life for Christ and sharing our vulnerabilities with Him and others opens the door to a relationship with us and, God willing, one day, the Savior.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Let Jesus\u2019 light shine through you this holiday season. Put up a nativity scene for all to see; it tells others where you place your faith and opens the door to conversations that could change lives. Bake cookies and distribute them around the neighborhood, introduce yourself to those you don\u2019t know. Begin to build relationships, creating a safe space for people to come together and share their life stories. Mimic Jesus, love everyone you meet, show them a different way to react to the world\u2019s darkness. Turn on the flame that will never extinguish for those who need it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jesus went out of His way to meet the Samaritan woman at the well; we should go to meet others. We have the greatest gift to share with everyone we meet: the Savior. Today celebrates Christ\u2019s birth, and nothing would make Him happier than us introducing Him to new friends today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Prayer:<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lord, thank You for lighting our lives with Jesus. Please help us share His light with everyone we meet. Dispel the darkness of this world; illuminate it with the brilliance of the Son.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

IJNIP. Amen <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Five-minute read. Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, \u201cI am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.\u201d  John 8:12  Christmas lights bring joy to my heart. Driving to our church\u2019s small group, we saw twinkling sparkles of color along our way. Nativity scenes with the… Continue reading Light of the World<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-11656","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","without-featured-image"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.honestreflections.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11656","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.honestreflections.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.honestreflections.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.honestreflections.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.honestreflections.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11656"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.honestreflections.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11656\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":11733,"href":"https:\/\/www.honestreflections.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11656\/revisions\/11733"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.honestreflections.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11656"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.honestreflections.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11656"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.honestreflections.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=11656"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}