Welcome to today's encouragement from Our Daily Bread.

Our reading titled Christ's Light Shines Bright was written by Patricia Raybon.

When the lights went out on the streets of Highland Park, Michigan, a passion for another light source, the sun, found a home there.

The struggling town lacked funds to pay its utility company.

The power company turned off the street lights and removed the light bulbs in 1,400 light poles. That left residents unsafe and

in the dark. Here comes a couple of children right now. On their way to school, a resident told a

news crew, there are no lights. They just have to take a chance on walking down the street.

That changed when a nonprofit group formed to install solar-powered streetlights in the town.

Working together, the humanitarian organization saved the city money on energy bills

while securing a light source that helped meet residents residence needs. In our life in Christ,

our reliable light source is Jesus himself, the son of God. As John the apostle wrote,

God is light. In him there is no darkness at all. John noted, 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, purifies us from all

sin. Jesus himself declared in John chapter 8, I am the light of the world.

Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.

With God's Holy Spirit guiding our every step, we'll never walk in darkness.

His light always shines bright.

Today's Our Daily Bread devotional scripture reading is from 1 John chapter 1, verses 5 through 7.

This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you, God is light. In him, there is no

darkness at all. If we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness,

we lie and do not live out 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, purifies us from all

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