"Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path."
-Psalm 119: 105

Imagine being lost in a cave. Enveloped by immense, total darkness and cold dampness. Having no sense of which way to go to find your way out to safety. Eventually you will begin to despair as you wander aimlessly, bumping walls, stumbling in holes. Hope would fade away. If only I had a light to help me find my way? For many people living in this world can be like being lost in a cave. Life for them can be overwhelming. They have no sense of where to go for safety, they slip and stumble along the way. Hope fades away and despair settles in. If only there was a light for them to show the way. There is! The Bible is God's lamp for the world. "You are a Lamp, O Lord; the Lord turns my darkness into light." (2nd Samuel 22: 29) God's word, found in the scriptures, is a light for all who seek it. With the light of God's word you can find hope. "Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path." (Psalm 119: 105) God's word is a Lamp to safety (salvation).

I pray that the Lord's word will be a light in your life and that you will take that light and let it shine in the lives of those around you. "You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on a stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven." (Matthew 5: 14-16) Let your light shine on all around you. The light can shine in simple ways. The way you smile and say hello to someone, or the encouraging word that you give to someone who is down. It might be praising someone, forgiving a wrong done to you, or helping those in need. There are many ways to let your light shine. Think back to that dark cave and imagine how much warmth, light, and hope would come if there was a lamp in there with you. God's word is that lamp and through Him you can be a light that can brighten the lives of those around you. Remember, there are many who are living in that cave. May the light of the Lord shine through your life and be a lamp for others today!

Take a moment and encourage someone.

In Christ,

Shan D. Hartsough

"This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all." -1st John 1: 5