Read
Ephesians 5:8-10 NIV
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) and find out what pleases the Lord.
Reflect
To be “in the dark” means that you are unaware of the truth about something. And if someone “sheds some light” on the subject, that means they helped you to understand what you didn’t know before. Unfortunately, I have to admit that described me quite a few times as I grew up.
When Paul wrote to the believers in Ephesus, he used the metaphor in a much broader way. Paul told the believers that not only had they been in the dark about God and His will for their lives, but he told them they were the darkness. They had been so entrenched in evil and godlessness that they became the corrupting influence in the lives of others.
All of us were born in the same darkness of sin and unbelief. None of us came into this world knowing or desiring the truth about God’s love for us. And our sinful human nature actively works to try to keep us in that spiritual darkness. Unfortunately, when we live in that darkness, we are influencing people into darkness.
But the light of Christ shines brightly and dispels the darkness. Jesus Christ came to reveal the truth about God, about ourselves, and about how we have been made right with God through his sacrifice. The Holy Spirit enlightens our hearts through this good news and leads us to rejoice in what it means for us.
Now, as children of the light of Christ, we also become a source of light. Christians have learned what kind of living pleases God: a life full of love and compassion for others, a life that seeks to serve God and our neighbor, a life that revolves around the truth of our Saviour, Jesus. When we walk according to the light of the Word, our actions and attitudes serve as beacons for others, hopefully drawing them to the light of Christ in which they can find salvation and eternal hope.
Pray
Father thank you for the gift of Jesus, the gift of salvation and for a life filled with the light of Jesus in our lives. Lord Jesus make me a beacon of light in my world and help me to influence others into the light. Amen.
