Christian Home and Family: God is Light and What it Means for Your Family!

God seems to love illustrations and symbols. The scriptures are full of them: sheep, goats, seeds, plants, vines, brides and bridegrooms, light, darkness – you get the idea.

This episode uses the biblical illustration of light to show you a fun and effective way that you can use light to teach your family that God is light, and what that means for their lives.

Let’s start by looking at 1 John 1:5-7

This is the message we have heard from Him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in Him is no darkness at all. If we say we have fellowship with Him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin.

Now, what I’d like to do is take the example of light, which a flashlight will represent, and use this verse from 1 John to show you a neat way you can explain to your family what God is like compared to what they are like and the world we live in.

Now, John says “God is light”.

So, imagine a beam of light coming from a flashlight in a dark room. One thing you’ll notice is that light itself ALWAYS dispels darkness. Darkness cannot exist in the same place as light. The light casts the darkness away and anything that is inside the light… is visible, not hidden in shadow. But if we turn off the flashlight – if the light is gone – the darkness comes back.

You can use this example to teach your kids that God is like the light. God EXPELS darkness. Darkness can’t even exist in His presence. So, when there is darkness in our lives in the form of sin, disobedience, anger, lying, or inappropriateness – those things are like the darkness. They’ve become something that God’s light is not shining on.

So, the key to us, as a family living in the light, is to stay close to God. He is the light. He helps us to expel the darkness.

This is just one idea of how you can use the imagery in scripture to teach your children, spouse, friends or even yourself about the realities of God. It’s how John did it. It’s how Jesus did it.

So, parents just think, as you read the scripture about what it is you are reading. Let your mind examine the illustrations that are being used and ask yourself, “How can I use Biblical images to teach about God?” Once you have your answer, grab your flashlight (or tool, or whatever you’ll use) and go do it! Talk about that truth with your family.

You can do it! You can lead your children into knowing God more deeply through a simple thing like a flashlight.

You can find out more ideas and contact me at ChristianHomeandFamily.com.