“And when I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw everyone to myself.”  John 12:32

The storm had raged for days, blowing the Smith’s vacation into uncharted waters. Little Emily clung to her mother’s sweater as they stood together at the bow of their boat, peering into the dark sky. “How will we find our way home again? How will Daddy know where to go?” Emily said through chattering teeth. Her mother knelt to Emily’s eye level and pointed through the rain. “You see that tiny light way out there?” Emily nodded. “That’s a lighthouse in the distance. That means land is ahead. The lighthouse is high on a cliff so that lost sailors all over the sea can find their way. We can’t see land and we can’t see our home, but if we keep heading toward the light, we’ll find our way.”

That’s what Jesus meant when He talked about being “lifted up from the earth.” When He allowed men to nail Him to a cross, hoist Him up, and suspend Him between heaven and earth, He became our Lighthouse. Humanity is lost in a sea of worldly ideas, wicked practices, and lustful desires that attack from within. God seems so far away and we don’t know how to find Him. Jesus said that He is the “Light of the world” (John 8:12), a beacon in the night that draws us toward forgiveness, wholeness, and a relationship with God. The church’s job is to create little lighthouses all over the world, allowing the Light of the World to shine through us. We may not know all the answers, but if we point people to the Light, they’ll find their way.

Final Thought:  What are you doing to be an effective lighthouse for those in your world?

Prayer: Father, you alone have the light that this world needs. You’ve placed me in a local church to help spread that light. I commit to being faithful to you and my church as we partner together to share your light with the world. In Jesus’ name, Amen.