January 2019 Come, Follow Me and Ministering – True Light in John 1:4–10

With everything so integrated in the church curriculum, I thought it would be a great idea to start focusing on the Come, Follow Me lessons in my ministering efforts.  So I put together a printable for the January 2019 Come, Follow Me and Ministering messages.

This printable can be used for ministering, teaching at church, Young Women’s, Relief Society, or family home evening lessons. It is a great way to implement one of the study tips in the manual, “select a verse you find meaningful, and display it where family members will see it often.”

Download January 2019 Come, Follow Me and Ministering Printable

Since we are focusing on the Light of Christ, I attached the printable to a set of candles.

January 2019 Come, Follow Me and Ministering Message

With the new Come, Follow Me manual, it has been neat to read through it and see how everything fits together. It will be exciting to see how it impacts families and the church. I remember when they started Family Home Evening nobody imagined the challenges that would be facing families in the future. It has been testimony building for me to see the church put in place strategies decades before the need for them is entirely clear.

I loved what President Nelson said last General Conference, “The long-standing objective of the Church is to assist all members to increase their faith in our Lord Jesus Christ and in His Atonement, to assist them in making and keeping their covenants with God, and to strengthen and seal their families. In this complex world today, this is not easy. The adversary is increasing his attacks on faith and upon us and our families at an exponential rate. To survive spiritually, we need counterstrategies and proactive plans. Accordingly, we now want to put in place organizational adjustments that will further fortify our members and their families.”

As we get started on the manual for the first time, in January we are focusing on parts of Matthew, Luke, and John. I have always loved the light imagery in the scriptures, so I was really struck by John 1:4-9 (bold added for emphasis). [see full lesson] [See JST version of John 1:4-9]

“In him was life; and the life was the light of men.
And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.
There was a man sent from God, whose name was John.
The same came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all men through him might believe.
He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light.
That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world.”

Christ is not only the true light, but the light that lights every man. We hear a similar message in D&C 93:2, “And that I am the true light that lighteth every man that cometh into the world.”

If Christ is the true light, what is the difference between the true light and a false light? One of the best descriptions of a false light I have found is in Isaiah 50:10-11.

“Who is among you that feareth the Lord, that obeyeth the voice of his servant, that walketh in darkness, and hath no light? let him trust in the name of the Lord, and stay upon his God. Behold, all ye that kindle a fire, that compass yourselves about with sparks: walk in the light of your fire, and in the sparks that ye have kindled. This shall ye have of mine hand; ye shall lie down in sorrow.”

In these scriptures you get this contrast between someone who is in darkness, but willing to trust in the Lord and keep walking. And then there are those who are unwilling to trust in the Lord, but feel the need to light their own way. Using their own devices, intellect, and understanding, they kindle their own fire. But they are only able to make meager sparks. It isn’t enough to light their way. Instead of walking and moving ahead, the Lord says that they will lie down in sorrow. They cannot progress any further. I get this vivid image of a worn-out person resignedly laying down in the dark. Their own sparks were not enough to get them where they need to go.

I can relate to this image so well. So many times I have doggedly pushed ahead, trying to use my own meager resources. Or I am tempted to go my own way and do my own thing. But I don’t make much progress and I wear out quickly.

In contrast, when I reach for the true light, I move forward, I make progress. It is often hard and I don’t always see just how I will get there, but I am moving.

This is because only the true light can dispel all darkness and help us return to our Father’s presence. It is not a meager and unreliable spark. And as the Lord promises in John 8:12, “I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.”

When we are confused or tired, we just need to trust in the name of the Lord, even when we aren’t sure just how the Lord is going to get us where we need to be. The Lord assures us in Isaiah 42:16, “I will bring the blind by a way that they knew not; I will lead them in paths that they have not known: I will make darkness light before them, and crooked things straight. These things will I do unto them, and not forsake them.”

I have seen this so vividly in my own life. Often I am confronted with problems that I cannot see my way out of, no matter how many sparks I try to kindle. But when I trust in the Lord, it eventually works out in ways I could have never imagined. The more I trust in Him, the less scared I am and the easier the path gets. Just like John, I bear witness that Christ is the one and only true light. The path is not always easy, but it is the only way and it is watched over by our Savior, who loves us more than we can even imagine.

Did you like this January 2019 Come, Follow Me and Ministering Message? Find more Relief Society Ministering Printables for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.