Light in the Darkness

And the light shineth in the darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.
-John 1:5

Think about light...and darkness. Even a tiny, tiny light looks bright if we're in total darkness. Even the strike of a tiny match can look bright against a backdrop of dark. So how is it that the darkness that pervades this world didn't comprehend the Light when He arrived?

I think the answer lies in the nature of that darkness. Satan is behind the darkness in the present world. And the idea that God would Himself come to earth not as a King or a Judge but in the form of a tiny baby would be totally incomprehensible to Satan. Satan's sin was, originally in the first place, deciding that he would be like God. He wanted the glory, the worship, and the praise that belongs only to the Creator, not to any created being. The idea that God the Son would set aside, for awhile, that very glory and venture to earth in a humble form, acting out of love for His creations probably never even occurred to Satan even as a remotest possibility. It would be a completely foreign concept to him.

So the darkness did not comprehend the Light that came to earth in the form of a man. Fully God...but fully man, as well. An act of love like that was so unusual and inexplicable that it took the kingdom of darkness completely by surprise.

As followers of Jesus, we ought to be imitating Him and the way He came to earth. Obviously, we don't imitate the actual act of incarnation. But we ought to act...out of love...in ways that are so surprising that the dark is taken off guard. When we pour out the love of Christ on other people and seek to do His will, it ought to make us act in ways that leave the powers of darkness reeling with confusion. In addition, forgiveness, love, and compassion exhibited in situations that logically call for anger, strife, and indignation should leave unbelievers scratching their heads and wondering, "Where did that come from?"

The darkness shouldn't be able to comprehend some of the actions the we take if we are walking in His light.

Unfortunately, often the darkness doesn't comprehend our actions, but it's for an entirely different reason. Sometimes, the darkness doesn't comprehend our actions because it doesn't even notice our actions. If we as Christians look, act, and behave like everyone else around us, then the darkness isn't going to notice us at all. Darkness inside of darkness doesn't show up at all. If we watch the same movies, go to he same places, indulge in the same pleasures, have the same pass-times, and generally act in the same manner as non-believers, then we look just like the rest of the darkness.

We shouldn't completely cut ourselves off from the world and live in seclusion because then we won't reach anyone with the message of God's love for them. Honestly, though, that's not a problem for most of us. Most of us are very in tune with the world, and it's past time for us to quit living so in tune with the world that we're not just in tune...we're playing the exact same notes.

NOW I Believe

And the woman said to Elijah, Now by this I know that thou art a man of God, and that the word of the Lord in thy mouth is truth.

Picture by George Hodan from PublicDomanPictures.net.

I Kings 17:24

As you read the verse above, realize that the woman speaking to Elijah was a widow and had only one living relative that we know of: her son. And that son had just died and been raised from the dead by the prayer of Elijah. And so she tells Elijah "NOW I know that you are a man of God".

This seems like a very reasonable response on her part...until we consider what has happened in this chapter, of which this is the very last verse. In this chapter, the widow, her son, and their house-guest, Elijah had been living for many days, in the midst of a drought and resultant famine, on a bit of food that was only enough for one small supper. The widow had been preparing to make this tiny bit of meal and oil into a last meal for her and her son when Elijah arrived, and since his arrival, they'd made that same bit of meal and oil into cake...after cake...after cake and had been sustained on one meal's worth of food for "many days".

So, why hadn't she said, "NOW I know"...days ago?!?

Is it because she was stubborn, just like we are? What does it take for us to finally get around to saying now I believe God will do what He says He will? Is it because we are waiting for some huge sign...and overlooking the many blessings God has given us? How long do we persist in a sin that we know is wrong until we finally repent and do what God is leading us to do?  Are we waiting for some miraculous revelation to use personally...when the instruction He has given us is already clearly addressed in His Word?

We should consider, as we are being stubborn about accepting what God is showing us, what the cost might be. The woman in this story was eventually given a sign big enough for her to believe...but look at what she had to go through. She watched her son fall ill and die, and she suffered through that as any mother would.

Would the widow...and her son...have gone through that agony anyway if she had believed at first? Perhaps, or perhaps they only went through it because she kept stubbornly resisting what God was making plain to her, so He gave her a sign she couldn't ignore.  We can't know the answer to that, but what we can know is that if God has revealed something to us that we should first believe and then act on that belief.  There is no advantage to delaying that action. If God has put a calling on our hearts to change our behavior, habits, or character or to take a specific action, then the time to do that is NOW.

As At This Day

Let your heart therefore be perfect with the Lord our God, to walk in his statutes, and to keep his commandments, as at this day.

I Kings 8:61

 

This verse is part of a beautiful prayer offered by Solomon at the dedication of the Temple in Jerusalem. (If you want to read the entire prayer, it is found in I Kings 8:22-53.) When Solomon prayed these words before the congregation of Israel, they were experiencing a very high spiritual peak. After years of planning, gathering of costly materials, and construction, the Temple was finally ready to be dedicated to its use as a holy place. The Temple itself, made with gold, silver, and brass, was a tangible and physical reminder before them as they listened to Solomon’s prayer.

Solomon took this opportunity to bless the people of Israel by encouraging them to continue following God’s statutes. He knew they would fail to do so, and he knew that at times they would not follow as they should. Just a few words previous, in verse 46, he had said “for there is no man that sinneth not”. He was wise enough to know that it is easy to be faithful, thankful, and resolved to follow God’s statutes when you’re at a high point, celebrating, listening to inspiring words, and surrounded by throngs of other faithful people. His blessing for the people ends with a reminder, a plea to them to follow God when times are tough, when they’re living in a foreign land, when they’re surrounded by people who don’t believe (or even by people who persecute them for believing).

We should learn the same lesson. It’s easy to sing praises if you’re surrounded by believers. It’s easy to say “Amen!” at the end of a beautiful prayer. It’s easy to resolve to break that sinful habit when you’re sitting in a pew being inspired and feeling God’s presence.

But it’s not so easy to praise when your car breaks down on the way to work. It’s not as easy to talk about God when you are surrounded by people who disagree or maybe even mock you. It’s not easy to follow God’s laws when the object of a sinful temptation is right there in front of you instead of being an abstract idea that you’re contemplating overcoming from the spiritual safety of a pew.

We should remember, when we are feeling in the spiritual “mood” in church that faith is not a mood. Faith is shown in daily obedience to God’s statutes, and we shouldn’t check our obedience at the door of the church on the way out. We should keep God’s commandments, even on the dark days, “as at this day…” where “this day” is the mountaintop spiritual high.