Online Articles
Seeking the Light
I am amazed at the world God created!
I recently learned about the golden jellyfish that is totally dependent on light from the sun. This is highly unusual because most jellyfish are carnivorous, pulling in prey with stringy tentacles.
The golden jellyfish is found in a marine lake located on Eil Malk island in Palau. There are no food sources in the water to support the jellyfish. As a result, the jellyfish follow a complex migration path, literally chasing the sun across the sky for nourishment to survive.
Scientists have failed to explain how these jellyfish learned to start each morning on the west side of the lake, inching with the sun to the east, all the way across the lake, only to return to the west side in the afternoon to begin the day anew. These jellyfish are seeking the light with all their being. Day to day survival depends on staying in the light.
The dedication of these simple organisms to seek the light each and every day stands as an example to all of us as Christians.
Are we seeking the light?
At the beginning of the gospel of John, Jesus is described as the “the true Light which gives light to every man coming into the world.” John continues to tell us that “as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name”.
Jesus, the true light, is the avenue by which we become children of God. Any of us can be a child of God if we choose to follow the true Light. Following the true light involves receiving Jesus. In Galatians 3:26-27 we find that we “are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ”. It is through baptism that we accept Jesus and begin our journey of life in the Light. Our lives go through a transformation. Ephesians 5:8 says that “you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light”. From that moment on, we are to turn away from the darkness of the world and seek the light with all our being.
Seeking the light day by day isn’t easy. Just like the golden jellyfish, we have a complex migration path from spiritually suffocating in this physical world of darkness to thriving in the light of life. We must seek the true Light if we desire a right relationship with God. It is only through the blood of Jesus that our sins can be forgiven.
1 John 1:5-7
5 This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all. 6 If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. 7 But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.
Our association with God is based upon how we walk in this life. Each and every day we must seek after the light. Being in the light must be core to our existence. Our spiritual life depends on us maneuvering through this murky world to avoid sin and continue on path of righteousness. Only then can we be children of God.
In the end, we all fall short of the glory of God. We must strive to stay in the light for the nourishment of our souls, but ultimately, we all must have mercy to be saved.
1 Peter 2:9-10
9 But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; 10 who once were not a people but are now the people of God, who had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy.
Mercy is only found for those who follow Jesus in the light. It is crucial for us to remain in the light if we want to be the people of God. Our light must shine in this world of darkness and lead others to the true light.
We must all follow the example of the golden jellyfish as it chases the sun across the sky for nourishment to survive. To sustain our souls, it is essential for us to strive for the true light of Jesus.
Bryan Tacker
