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)
A pilot spent his entire military life flying combat choppers in Vietnam. He was assigned to a secret mission one night, which required him to fly in complete darkness, totally by instrumentation, hovering above the jungles of Southeast Asia.
Try to imagine flying a chopper in utter and total darkness. When it came to landing, he had to be so meticulous and precise, an error of even five feet could crash the chopper and kill all who were on board. It was like aiming for a postage stamp in the middle of that blackened jungle.
Enveloped in darkness, he radioed to the man on the ground and said, “What can you give me down there?”
For stealth reasons, the man on the ground could not light up the landing area. In fact, he didn’t even have a flashlight. Reaching in his pocket, he told the pilot, “All I have in my pocket is a Zippo lighter.”The chopper pilot responded, “Well, if you don't mind, can you come outside and flick the Zippo lighter?”
The man did, and in the middle of the jungle, on a top-secret warfare mission, our combat pilot landed a chopper by the tiny light of a Zippo lighter,which pierced through the dominant darkness.
If the pilot had only focused on how dark it was, he would not have landed safely. Instead, he focused his attention on that little flame and allowed its light to dominate his concentration. And because he did, he was guided to safety.
I don't care how dark your past is. I don't care how dark your relationships may be. I don't care how dark your medical diagnosis is. I don't care how dark the government is. I don't care how dark the economy appears. I'm here to tell you, you can fly your faith right to the landing of God's express will if you learn how to fly by the light of His presence.
Jesus’ light is a whole lot bigger and much more brilliant than a Zippo cigarette lighter. Jesus is the light of the entire world. His light is your access to all things eternal. Keep your eyes focused and your mind stayed on Him.
