John 1:4 “In Him was life; and the life was the light of men.”

“Life” here in this verse is vitality…the essence and power of living.  You will notice, it says…”and the life was the light of men.”

        “The life”…it does not say what life….because life is only found in God.  It is not just that He gives us life….but that He is life to us.

        Christ Jesus has this vitality for us…through the Holy Spirit within.

The joy of the Lord is the Presence of God in my life.

The Holy Spirit in our spirits is the chief source of that joy….but He must be yielded to in all our doings.

1 Thessalonians 5:19 “Quench not the Spirit.”

Don’t choke Him off.            How do we “choke” Him?   By ignoring the light that He gives us, whether in guidance, peace, or strength….His light illuminates us, the situation, and Him.

(An old preacher once said….. that the joy and peace that we have, are the measuring lines  of our true spiritual life.  

       If they are missing,  we are weak Christians indeed.)

Galatians 5:22-23 “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.”

The devil will attack us in these two fruits….for if he can hinder our joy, by opening the door to looking at ourselves,    looking at others or circumstances…sadness or discontent,….

……then, when joy is gone…and there is a emptiness to it…

…..then our peace, which steadies us in the changing winds and storms…will waver,…and can disappear…

     And when our peace is gone….we begin to run around looking for “something” to hang on to.

Romans 8:11 “But if the Spirit of Him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you,  He that raised up Jesus from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by His Spirit that dwelleth in you.”

Romans 14:17 “For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink;  but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost.”

Again, joy is the Presence of God in my life. I have Him…and He has me.

       HIs vitality…His life…HIs quickening….is always there…we need to yield to HIm….and let HIm have HIs Way with us.

(I want to speak for a moment about light.   To be enlightened, is not just to know something you did not before.   But it is to experience the uplifting and grace to do what you are shown to do.                                           

       Jesus said, I am the light of the world.   Because the whole world was in the darkness of sin….a darkness that surrounds and blinds them to their condition.

       But Jesus came….darkness had to flee from HIm and HIs Word.   Many saw the light….some followed Him, into more light…submitting to what HIs life and light showed them about themselves….receiving His life, having His light.)

Ephesians 1:17-20 “That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him:

       The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of His calling, and what the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints,

       And what is the exceeding greatness of His power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of His mighty power,

       Which He wrought in Christ, when He raised Him from the dead, and set Him at HIs own right hand in the heavenly places.”

””According to the working of HIs mighty power.”    How much are we letting the “working” of the Holy Spirit in our lives?

Now there should come to each of us who seek the Lord’s Will for our lives…that transformation of our mind.   We are now enlightened….we see with the Holy Spirit’s discernment.

        Our natural way of thinking becomes spiritual.  We stop seeing things the way we always have….with our own opinion….and, according to the world’s thoughts.   We stop walking in darkness.

       We step into HIs light.

       That is what the life of Christ does….it imparts a vitality to our life which gives love to God and others,….which gives joy from HIs Presence with us….and which gives peace.   It brings us to worship the Lord…to count Him worthy of our all.

We must come to the place in yielding to the Holy Spirit, that every act is an act of worship. That we do all to the glory of God….then HIs life is flowing through us. Then we are lights to the world….not hiding them under a bushel.

1 Corinthians 10:31 “Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.”

Colossians 3:23 “And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men;”

Eating and drinking are simple everyday parts of our lives….yet they are to glorify God.   How much more are we to glorify God through  our words and actions with our church, family, fellow Christians,….and in the world?

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

And we have this life….His vitality….let us yield to Him, and have the light, joy and peace that He has for us…that we might shine our lights in the darkness of this world.