John 1:4

Gospel of John Lesson 2

In Him was life, and that life was the light of men

Has anyone ever told you to 'get a life'?  I know I get told that all the time.  What exactly does someone mean when they tell someone else to 'get a life'?  Actually, getting a life is at the core of this verse.  John is writing to us telling us a very simple truth.  True life is found in Jesus Christ.  'But I am alive' one may argue.  Ah, but you see John isn't merely talking about biological life.  He is talking about true living.  I have heard it said many times "that person is alive, but they have never really lived".  That is at the crux of what John is saying.  True life, life that we all crave, is found in the Word...it is found in Jesus Christ.  Apart from him you seem to be alive, but you are not really alive.

Lets take a person who lives on the street.  We look at them, they have no steady shelter, no source of income, no steady source of food.  Perhaps they have personal issues, perhaps they have been dealt a bad hand.  Maybe they drink too much, or struggle with past shame and hurt.  Whatever the situation, many people would look at them and say "what a life".  We might not wish that type of life on our worst enemy...but people living like that are all around us.  How many of us, deep down inside, are broken?  How many of us have hurts, and issues,  and needs?   How many of us are hiding some secret shame from our childhood?  How many of us are hiding a fear of failure, or some secret sin?  How many of us are agonizing over a broken family relationship, or regrets from past friendships?  Let's face it, very few of us have it all together.  We are one or two steps up from the street dweller, BUT there is before us a ladder that reaches up into heaven.  John is telling us there are new heights to living as we grow in Christ.  Jesus offers us a fresh look at life, in fact, he offers us the only true look at life you will ever be offered.  In Him is LIFE.

Life is more than having your stomach filled.  Its more than being healthy and warm.  It's more than a corvette, or a house in malibu, or a loaded swiss bank account.  Life is more than that...we may want to settle for those things, but even the best that this world has to offer pales in comparison with what Christ can give you.  The Christ life, that is what we all thirst for, that is the only thing that can truly quench our thirst...saint and sinner alike.  Only by partaking in what Jesus is offering can we be truly free of the weakness of the flesh.  Only then can we be free of the cares of this world.

The second part of that passage, let's dwell on it....His life is the light of men!  Wow, what a picture.  His life is a light which reveals the true darkness of the imitaiton life we are all settling for.  Oh, that false life we settle for, we call it by different names.  Perhaps we call it religion, or church, or morality, or partying, or sports, or the high life, or adventure seeking, or carousing.  Perhaps its drugs sex and rock and roll.  Maybe you call it nature, or ethics, or a good book, or friendship, or family.  There are a million things that Jesus has created which attempts to fill our lives with meaning and purpose, but they can all be taken away from us.  And when they are gone, we are left with an emptiness that reminds us of our loss.  We try to get over it, maybe we do, or maybe we don't.  Maybe we find something new to fill the void.  Whatever we find, it is temporary and cannot compare to the joy of one minute in the presence of God where true life dwells.  Only Jesus really lived, and because only he truly lived, only he could have truly died for us. 

His life is offered to us today.  Will you open your heart to him?  True spirituality is finding that life in Christ.  True life is finding the fullness of the indwelling Christ and partaking of His holy nature.  Do you sense a thirst in your soul?  Do you sense that there must be something more to life?  In Him is LIFE, and that LIFE is our light...the light of mankind.

Pray with me: Lord Jesus, I want to find life in You.  I want to be filled with Your life, with Your wisdom and presence.  Draw near to me today and light my path.  Be my light and show me the emptiness around me.  But more than that, show me how to truly live - give me Your life.  Amen