This Little Light Of Mine
“For you were
once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light”
(Ephesians 5:8)
When Robert Louis
Stevenson, author of, Dr. Jekyl and Mr.
Hyde and Treasure Island, was a young child, he was sick much of the time. He couldn’t go out
and play like the other children so he spent a lot of time watching out the window. One evening he sat and watched as
a man came down the street lighting the gas lamps. His nurse said to him, “What
are you doing?” “I’m watching the man knock holes in the darkness,” he replied. What a great picture. We are called to knock holes in the darkness
in Jesus’ name. More and more, we are
seeing darkness occur. But more and
more, we have the opportunity to let light prevail.
We are living in an
age where we are facing a magnificent opportunity. None of us should despair. The darker the night, the brighter the light
shines. It is precisely when the world is at its worst that the people of
God should be at their best. We used to
sing the song, “Hide it under a bushel, no!
I’m gonna let it shine!”
We see persecution in
Iraq. We see a spirit that rises up against
Christ. But we were made for times like
these. Let no one be deceived. It will not be easy. The world doesn’t want
the light, but it desperately needs it.
Looking back to the
early days of the Christian movement, G. Campbell Morgan remarked that “the
church did the most for the world when the church was the least like the
world.”
Could this help explain our dire straits today?
We aren’t called to
save the world. Only God can do that. But we are called to make a difference. We
can’t do everything, but we can do something. What we can do, we ought to do.
Let’s go knock some holes in the darkness.
We see several ways that light influences us:
1) Light
Transforms: (Ephesians 5:8)
Paul
writes, “For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as
children of light” (v. 8). Here we have a beautiful picture of conversion. Coming to Christ is like walking from
the darkness into a room filled with blazing light. But once you
come out of the darkness, you see things you never saw before. When you lived
in the darkness, you did whatever you wanted to do. But now in the light, you
must put off the deeds of darkness and put on a lifestyle fitting for the
children of the light.
2) Light Exposes: (Ephesians 5:11,12)
Paul adds, “Have
nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them. It
is shameful even to mention what the disobedient do in secret” (v. 11-12).
If
you are planning to buy an expensive diamond, you will want to view it in the
brightest light possible before you make the purchase because light will expose
the hidden flaws in the stone. Shadows hide the flaws, but light reveals all of
them. Similarly, when the gospel enters a family, the hidden secrets will be
revealed. When the gospel invades a community, corruption will come.
3) Light Awakens: (Ephesians 5:14)
Finally, we read, “This is why it is said: ‘Wake up, sleeper, rise from
the dead, and Christ will shine on you.’” (v. 14). In his long ministry
at the First Baptist Church of Dallas, W. A. Criswell preached on this verse a
number of times, always calling it something like “the Bible in miniature.” He
compared Ephesians 5:14 to John 3:16, saying that both verses contain the
essential truth we need to know about salvation. He was fond of pointing out
that this verse calls for something impossible when it says, “Rise from the
dead.” After all, Paul himself had already stated in Ephesians 2:1, “You were dead in your transgressions and
sins.”
Put simply, the
church in America has lost some of its influence. There are many
reasons why this is so, but one reason stands out above the rest. The church
has lost its influence because Christians have neglected their responsibility
to be light in the world. As we have neglected to be what God has called us
to be, the world has decided to ignore us. But we can regain it if we choose to
become light and as G. Campbell Morgan says, we become “less like the world.”
Terry
Risser
Reflections:
1)
Would you consider
your light shining bright or flickering?
2)
How is God calling you to become less like the world?
Consider reading the Word today:
Copyright 2014- Terry Risser
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