The Light

I have discovered that early darkness has once again begun to descend upon us here in the Canadian north. This necessitates the use of more electricity, since I must turn the lights on as I go from room to room throughout the house. As I do so, the darkened area becomes flooded with light, allowing me to go about the chores at hand.

God also has chores at hand for His people, chores designed to bring glory to Himself and to lead others to His glory through Christ. But in order to accomplish these things we must live as children of light.

Ephesians 5:8-11 – For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth) and find out what pleases the Lord. Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them. (NIV)

Once we were darkness, but now, as followers of Jesus, the light of Christ resides within us. This means that we have everything we need to walk as children of light. We don't have to try to find it or earn it; we already have it within us.

2 Peter 1:3 – His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. (NIV)

In light of this knowledge, I must ask myself, When I walk into a room, or mingle in a crowd, or stand in line at the checkout counter, or drive my vehicle down the road, am I living as a child of light or darkness? Am I deliberately living my life by drawing upon His power within me so that I might exhibit His light to my world in every little daily thing I do? Such questions encourage and confront me, compelling me and demanding me to think before I act. Such questions, when I take them seriously and apply them to my life, enable me, as a child of light, to embrace the chores that God has placed before me — chores designed to bring glory to Himself and to lead others to His glory through Christ.

"For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light." May this truth be what others see in each of us today and every day amidst the darkness of our world.

Prayer: Father God, what a marvellously incredible thing that You have done for us. For once, we were darkness, but now, we are light in the Lord. Encourage and help us to deliberately remember, believe, and embrace this truth, that we might live as children of light, that You might be glorified and others might be led to Your glory through Christ, in Whose name, we pray. Amen.