John chapter 1 verse 4 says, “In Him was life, and the life was the light of men.” That word, life, is translated from the Greek word, zoe, which the New Testament uses to describe the kind of life God has. It’s not the word, bios, which is used for biological life. It’s not simply the kind of life produced by your heart beating in your chest and your blood pumping through your veins. This verse tells us the kind of life Jesus has to offer is something altogether different – a life of another kind – and that this life is what truly lights a person up.

I’m sure you’re familiar with the word, nightlife. It describes a nighttime party atmosphere where folks are drinking, dancing, enjoying music, and other entertainments. And for many people, it also describes an aspiration, a highlight, something they look forward to. It’s even one of the measures used to rank the livability of cities. Our culture will say a city is a good place to live because it has great nightlife.

But seriously? Are we willing to settle for that - nightlife? Is lubricating your inhibitions with alcohol or some other intoxicant and moving your body to the beat of the music in the dim light of a club enough for you? Artificial life under artificial lights?

Not me. Not when the Lord is offering zoe – a life that’s incomparably higher, greater, and deeper in every way. Life that’s spiritual, eternal, substantial, fulfilling, exhilarating and so much more than words can describe.

Let’s reject cheap knockoffs and choose to settle for nothing less than the real thing – zoe. The life we were made for. The life Jesus said would light us up.