Living As Children Of Light

The aftershock of the "Noah" movie continues to trickle onto the web in the form of articles written by bloggers and Facebook friends' comments, giving their impressions and opinions of director Darren Aronofsky's pathetic attempt to use creative license and portray the Biblical account of the flood.

Ken Ham of answersingenesis.org wrote an excellent critique for Time's online magazine.  Ray Comfort, who was asked by a "popular television program" to view and critique the movie, wasted no words when he weighed in.  Needless to say, my friends' comments on Facebook are filled with either remorse for having thrown good money after bad, or outrage that they were duped by their church leaders into watching this outlandish fable.

In a sense, I'm glad to see that those I respected for their faith have been convicted that they erred.  Sometimes, we learn lessons the hard way.  God has a tendency to cause us to spiritually grow through them, and we can be sincerely thankful that He doesn't allow us to wallow too long in the mire of the realization that we were wrong.

What God does expect, however, is that we don't continue to make the same mistakes over and over again.

I sat down this morning to read Charles Spurgeon's morning devotion and didn't bother to notice the date at the beginning.  Instead of the devotion for April 2nd , my Kindle, which has, of late, been misbehaving, had opened to a January 5th devotion.  If I had been paying attention, I would have skipped this particular exhortation and taken the time to reset it to the current date.  To be honest, I'm grateful that I didn't, because it struck me how neatly it fit into the niche (or ditch) of depravity in which we often find ourselves.

It's dark in that proverbial ditch.  And it's a place true Christians can find no comfort.  But all too often, Christians, including this wretch, find it difficult to remove themselves completely from the mire and insist on continuing in fellowship with darkness.  That's when we need Christ's light to show us our foolishness for being there in the first place, and for it to guide us back where we belong.

The apostle Paul knew the propensity followers of Christ would have to occasionally return to the muck of sin and fall back in with those who delighted in it.  He exhorted the Ephesians to "not become partners with them;  for at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord.  Walk as children of light (for the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and true), and try to discern what is pleasing to the Lord.   Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them.  For it is shameful even to speak of the things that they do in secret.  But when anything is exposed by the light, it becomes visible,  for anything that becomes visible is light.  Therefore it says,

'Awake, O sleeper,
    and arise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.' 

Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil.  Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is."  (Ephesians 5:7-17)

It is my hope that the following miss-timed (yet certainly timely) devotion from Charles Spurgeon will give my readers something to meditate on.   The world is fast becoming a darker place and we need to be equipped to deal with all that will come our way.  By remaining in the Word of God and applying it to every situation we find ourselves in, the Light that dwells within us will overcome the world, even in a darkened movie theater.

~ ~ ~

"And God saw the light, that it was good; and God divided the light from the darkness."

Genesis 1:4

Light might well be good since it sprang from that fiat of goodness, "Let there be light."  We who enjoy it should be more grateful for it than we are, and see more of God in it and by it.  Light physical is said by Solomon to be sweet, but Gospel light is infinitely more precious, for it reveals eternal things, and ministers to our immortal natures.

When the Holy Spirit gives us spiritual light, and opens our eyes to behold the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ, we behold sin in its true colours, and ourselves in our real position; we see the Most Holy God as He reveals Himself, the plan of mercy as He propounds it, and the world to come as the Word describes it.  Spiritual light has many beams and prismatic colours, but whether they be knowledge, joy, holiness, or life, all are divinely good.  If the light received be thus good, what must the essential light be, and how glorious must be the place where He reveals Himself.  O LORD, since light is good, give us more of it, and more of Thyself, the true Light.

No sooner is there a good thing in the world, than a division is necessary.  Light and darkness have no communion; God has divided them, let us not confound them.  Sons of light must not have fellowship with deeds, doctrines, or deceits of darkness.  The children of the day must be sober, honest, and bold in their LORD's work, leaving the works of darkness to those who shall dwell in it forever.  Our churches should by discipline divide the light from the darkness, and we should, by our distinct separation from the world, do the same.  In judgment, in action, in hearing, in teaching, in association, we must discern between the precious and the vile, and maintain the great distinction which the LORD made upon the world's first day.

O LORD Jesus, be Thou our light throughout the whole of this day, for Thy light is the Light of men.

~ ~ ~


 "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.   He was in the beginning with God.   All things were made through Him, and without Him was not any thing made that was made.   In Him was life, and the life was the light of men.   The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it."

John 1:1-5