In Him Was Life
Where Christ is, there is always light—even in the foggiest places.
E. Stanley Jones beautifully draws our gaze back to the opening verses of John’s Gospel, where we are reminded that in Him was life, and the life was the light of men. He explores how this life is not just biological existence or spiritual vitality in theory—it is the animating presence of Jesus Christ that brings creativity to thought, compassion to emotion, and action to the will. Where Jesus is, things begin to live. Not merely survive, but overflow with light-giving purpose.
Jones likens this to a magnet: just as metal becomes magnetized through contact, so those who encounter Christ become animated with divine life. This light is not reserved for theologians or saints—it reveals itself even through the innocent clarity of a child or the honest reflection of a secular thinker. Whether it's a dramatist identifying Christ as the only answer to human misery, or a child confronting evil with the simple reality that they must not have known Jesus, the light of Christ penetrates and reveals.
Ultimately, Jones wants us to grasp that where Christ is, there is light—and where He is not, there is only darkness. This is not a matter of moral superiority but of divine reality: Christ is life, and His life is the only true illumination for the human soul.
Personalized Journal Entry – In the Voice of the Holy Spirit Through Scripture:
I have placed My life within you, not as a distant concept but as a present reality. This life is not your own—Christ lives in you. I have made you alive together with Him, raised you with Him, and seated you with Him in the heavenly realms so that His light might shine through your mortal body.
You were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as a child of light, for the fruit of light consists in all that is good, right, and true. Let My life in you make you creative in thought, tender in emotion, and ready in action. You are My workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works which I prepared beforehand, that you should walk in them.
The life of Christ in you is not meant to be stored but shared. Just as the eye cannot keep light for itself, neither can you hold back the illumination I bring. Let your light so shine before others that they may see not merely your good deeds but the Source of them, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.
Every place your life touches can be radiant with Christ, for in Him was life, and that life is now in you. Let it shine. Let it awaken. Let it be light wherever you are.
(Verses referenced: Galatians 2:20; Ephesians 2:5–6, 5:8–9, 2:10; Matthew 5:16)
Prayer of Confidence:
Father, thank You that I am no longer in the dark. Christ is my life, and where He is, there is light. I trust that Your Spirit will express this life through me today in ways I may not even notice—through a word, a glance, a pause, or a quiet act of care. I rejoice that this is not a life I have to produce but one I already possess in Christ. As I move through this day, I rest in the reality that wherever I go, You go, and wherever You are, life flourishes and light breaks through. May others see the radiance of Jesus in the ordinary moments, and may they know that this is not from me, but from You. Amen.
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Devotional Credit: In Christ