Let us walk in the light of God
“For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord.” (Ephesians 5:8a)
The contrasting picture of darkness and light is a favorite Bible illustration showing the difference between faith and unbelief, between sin and a life of faith. Darkness portrays unbelief or living a life that is not pleasing to God. Light represents faith and living a life pleasing to God.
Paul’s words in this week’s verse reminds us there was a time when we lived in total spiritual darkness –like being deep in a coal mine with no light at all. That is the way each of us came in to the world. Thankfully, for many of us that changed when our parents showed their love and concern for our spiritual lives and had us baptized. But baptism did not ensure we would stay in the light of faith and walk in that light all our lives. The devil tries to get us to slip back into the dark deeds of sin. Our own sinful selves want to fit in rather than face ridicule or isolation for living as children of the light. Remember, it is an ongoing battle to stay in the light of faith and let that light of faith shine.
It’s easy to enjoy our knowledge of and our walk in the light of faith and not be aware of those who still stumble around in the darkness of unbelief or sin. Living as a child of light in the Lord also means being aware of opportunities to shine Christ’s light into the lives of others. I’ve heard from many that one of the real blessings of working in the ministry of The Lutheran Home Association is being part of an organization where you are encouraged to live and share your faith. I encourage you to continue to look for opportunities to live and share your faith, not just as in the ministry of TLHA, but in every aspect of your life. One-third of the people who come to be served by us come without a knowledge of Jesus as their Savior. You don’t have to look very far or hard to find an opportunity to live as a child of the light and perhaps shine the light into the life of someone still living in the darkness of sin. It might be someone whom you are privileged to serve or their family, someone who comes to our facilities for any number of reasons or perhaps one of your fellow teammates.
Here is a wonderful hymn that serves as a great prayer relating to our verse for this week:
I want to walk as a child of the light; I want to follow Jesus.
God set the stars to give light to the world; The star of my life is Jesus.
Refrain:
In him there is no darkness at all; The night and the day are both alike.
The Lamb is the light of the city of God. Shine in my heart, Lord Jesus.