Jan 16, 2020

Light Up the Darkness

Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them. 
(Ephesians 5:11, NIV)

I was reading in Ephesians 5 this morning, and this verse jumped out at me in the context of the verses around it. 


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) 10 and find out what pleases the Lord. 11 Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them. 12 It is shameful even to mention what the disobedient do in secret. 13 But everything exposed by the light becomes visible, for it is light that makes everything visible. 

I am a child of light in the Lord. It's who I am, not anything I do. 

The Light is full of goodness, righteousness, and truth. When I live to please the Lord, His light shines brightly like a flashlight with a fully charged battery.

When I go out into the world, just by my presence I bring HIS presence into every situation. Shine light into darkness. 

How brightly the light shines depends on me living as a child of light and not participating in the fruitless deeds of darkness. Being in the world but not of it. Not letting my battery run down.

I go out, Christ shines the light. 

People will respond in one of two ways: reject, or welcome. Don't be surprised or discouraged at rejection - we are not experiencing anything Jesus didn't experience. 

Just like Jesus kept going out despite rejection, we need to keep taking our light - His light - out into the darkness.

My brother-in-law often encourages me with the phrase "let your soul shine." Yes, when our lifestyle reflects our identity in Christ, our soul does indeed shine brightly. 


And darkness is exposed so people can be set free.



1 comment:

  1. I love how the NIV translates the end of verse 13: "Everything that is illuminated becomes a light."

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