When I was in college, I sang in the school choir. One year, we took a trip that included stops in New Mexico. Traveling through the state, we paused to visit the Carlsbad Caverns. There's one moment from that tour that stands out in my mind. The guide offered to allow us to experience total darkness. She turned out the lights, leaving us in such blackness that we could not see our hands in front of our faces.

That's the kind of darkness that existed in the beginning, when God created everything. The Bible says, "The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep" (Genesis 1:2).

Think about that time, then picture the moment when a divine voice shattered the void with the cry: "Let there be light!" Can you imagine the wonder of that moment, when divine light bursts forth into the blackness of the shapeless universe?

The apostle Paul says that that moment is relived in each of our lives when God shines his light into our hearts. "For God, who said, 'Let light shine out of darkness,' has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ" (2 Corinthians 4:6). This incredible light, the light of the glory of God, the light that burst forth in creation, now shines in us.

Paul goes on to tell the Corinthians that God has put this light in "jars of clay," meaning our human bodies. Then he reminds them that these jars are slowly falling apart! However, the treasure that God has put inside those jars grows more precious every day.

We forget about this. We focus on the human side, the mortal side, the part of us that is aging and deteriorating. When we do so, we forget the wonder of the light that God shines into our hearts.

God wants to take your "jar of clay" and make it into a treasure. He wants to take the light that pierced the primeval darkness and place it inside of you.

God wants to take the light that pierced the primeval darkness and place it inside of you
Do you choose to be the light of the world? Or will you remain a part of the darkness? Will your value come from your aging physical self or from God's light within you? It's your choice.

Come share your decision with us by leaving a comment on the blog at www.hopeforlife.org

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