Ephesians 5:8-14
Though we live in a world covered in darkness, we are called to walk in light. If we claim to be children of light, but never wash ourselves of the world’s darkness, how much brightness are we really walking in? Do we dim the light so we can see just enough of God and His truth to satisfy and comfort ourselves without denouncing the shadows we don’t want to let go of? Doing so will leave us susceptible to cultivating a confused, lackluster kind of faith. We should be walking in the full, glorious light of Christ, so we can be strengthened, and share it with everyone else. The light He has given us isn’t just a personal flashlight to give us a sense of security. We are rather called to be a “city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden” (Matthew 5:14), sharing the liberating beauty of the Gospel to those beyond ourselves. The more light we walk in, the more we will be sure of our faith, and the better witnesses we will be!
Maybe having our spiritual lamps on full brightness 24/7 will drain our batteries faster— maybe walking in light requires more frequent visits to the Source. Trying to walk in light and truth, in a world inherently offended by it, is tiring when we rely on ourselves. However, it's pretty hard to get consistently burned out when you are rooted in the epitome of light Himself. “For you were once in darkness, but now you are light in the Lord,” Ephesians 5:8 tells us. We are “children of light” now (Ephesians 5:8), but it’s hard to walk like it if we are still investing in “fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness” (Ephesians 5:11). In other words, we can’t fight a darkness we’re still making compromises with. Essentially, we will look like, and “walk in,” whatever influences us. Let the world shape your perspective and feelings, and you risk diminishing the light of Heaven inside you to a flashlight running on a half-empty battery. Pursue deeper communion with your Savior and hide His words in your heart (Psalm 119:11), and you’ll be a little brighter every day.
We are still imperfect humans, so this isn’t going to be a smooth ride with butterflies and rainbows—I know it isn’t for me. That’s why strongly rooting ourselves in God, who makes us strong in our weakness, is so vital to this walking-in-light thing. So don’t wear yourself out battling sin and darkness out of your own strength—surrender to God, ask Him to hold your hand and help you walk in His light.
Taking it one day at a time,
Janelle
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