wed the 14th

John 3: ²⁰Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. ²¹But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what he has done has been done through God."

 

We all know John 3:16 and that God loves us so much that He sent His only Son. We forget sometimes how often John refers to Christ as the light. How true that fact is. To live a life in Christ is to live a life out in the open, exposed for all to see. When we think about it that way then look at our lives do we not find that we still have shadows in our life that we still clink away to? I think of my young life, when I was running as fast in the opposite direction from God as I could……you know I LOVED the darkness back then. The daylight was something to be tolerated until the shadows of the evening would start to stretch across the ground. It was not just the physical darkness that I enjoyed, but the darkness that comes with secrecy. The back room deals, the under the table dealings, the half truths, and the outright lies….the deception for personal gain….I have to admit I was quite good at it. When I think of that time in my life I always think of what Spurgeon said. I know that the Lord must have chosen me before I was born, because I gave little reason for him to choose me after. Of course my life is much different now, and I do try to live in the light, but when I read this last part of verse 20 I still think I must still struggle…..do you?…..for fear that his deeds will be exposed…..for I still get that tingle in the pit of my stomach when I am called on the carpet, what about the conversations that we have with people….what if they were all exposed….did I give the extra nickel back to the cashier when she made a mistake What about resentment?…..how much of that do we hold on to???? Oh sure, you might think well those don’t count….they are just little things…..but guess what, there are no little things to God. He hates the sin of the liar as much as the murder, He despises the sin of the gossip, as much as the thief. God hates all sin. It is the thought that it is just “small sin”, that allows the shadows to creep back into the edges of your life. May we all continue to drive the shadowed corners out of our life, may we all strive to let the truth and the light of Christ wash over us and illuminate our lives like the sun, casting all shadows and darkness out of our existence, so that it may be seen plainly that what we have done has been done through God. Amen

 

 

God Bless,

Brian Thetford

<))))><