John 3:19-21
“This is the crisis we’re in:
God-light streamed into the world, but men and women everywhere ran for
the darkness. They went for the darkness because they were not really
interested in pleasing God. Everyone who makes a practice of doing evil,
addicted to denial and illusion, hates God-light and won’t come near
it, fearing a painful exposure. But anyone working and living in truth
and reality welcomes God-light so the work can be seen for the God-work
it is.”
Scripture
quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002
by Eugene Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs,
CO. All rights reserved.
I cannot stress often enough what a wonderful study tool I have found in the book, Jesus Calling*. I am not affiliated with this author or
publisher in any way - but these devotionals speak to me every time I
read them. The September 6th entry says in part that (and remember, this
is supposed to be Jesus speaking), “The desire to act independently –
apart from Me – springs from the root of pride. Self-sufficiency is
subtle, insinuating its way into your thoughts and actions without your
realizing it. But apart from Me, you can do nothing: that is, nothing of eternal value.”
The passage goes on to encourage us to depend on Jesus in every situation…but we are reminded that we have to want to
do this. While it would be simpler for Jesus to force us to be
obedient servants, the author explains that freedom to choose is a
“godlike privilege I bestowed on you as My image-bearer.”
Let’s
be honest…the devil makes it pretty easy and attractive for us to live
in darkness. A former pastor used to say that “Sin is fun…otherwise,
nobody would be interested!” When I thought about today’s scripture
passage – and the Jesus Calling entry from a couple of days ago –
I couldn’t help but think how many people who claim to be Christians
have gotten caught up in the collective shadows of dissension that seem
to permeate our country today.
Lines are firmly drawn in the
sand. It’s become cool and popular to speak one’s mind and let the chips
fall where they may…to pit one group against another and deride good
people – just because others seem to like it! There is a good deal of
the “speak now and apologize later” mentality – and the fallout from
this in some cases is permanent and irreparable. We want to be cool…to
fit in…to be accepted. So we go along with rhetoric that divides rather
than unites.
We operate like people who have stepped out of a
building into the brightness of a sunny day without wearing any
sunglasses. We prefer to jump back into the “comfort” of the shadows as
quickly as possible. We are not willing to make the effort to adjust to
the bright light – and enjoy it! We don’t appreciate the warmth of the
sun’s life-giving rays. We have no desire to put on sunscreen and
protective clothing and stick around.
And so it is with Jesus. We don’t
want to do the work. We would rather coast along in the darkness and
act like we’re “all that,” and enjoy the relative “comfort” of fitting
in and not making waves.
Understand this…sometimes, being a
Christian is messy. It takes courage, confidence, hope and faith. It
takes a willingness to step out of the darkness and say, “I’m following
the LIGHT!” We have to swallow our pride and put on the full armor of
God and say, “Wherever You lead, I will follow!” Are YOU courageous
enough to do this? Will you place everything on the line for the One
who has already done this - and so much more - for you?
Aren’t you ready to step out of the darkness and into the brilliant Light of Christ, once and for all? Will this be the day that you do?
©2016 Debbie Robus
*Jesus Calling ~ http://jesuscalling.com – is available at most bookstores and major retailers, including Walmart and Target.
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