Out of the Darkness

For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord.

Ephesians 5:8

Recently, I was in a store when without warning all of the lights went out. For a few seconds, there was complete darkness. I could see nothing, until the store’s generators came on, bringing a dim light that barely enabled maneuvering down aisles. I noticed people returning their carts and leaving. Not me! I turned on my phone’s flashlight and finished my shopping. But I admit, functioning in darkness was not easy.

What is darkness? It is the absence of light. Spiritual darkness is the absence of spiritual light. Jesus said, I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life (John 8:12). Simply put, those who follow Jesus live in light. Those apart from Jesus live in darkness. (Ephesians 5:8)

Believer, God’s act of grace turned on the light of truth in your heart and mind, enabling you to believe Jesus is the Son of God. God made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ (2 Corinthians 4:6). From that moment on, you were transformed. You no longer belong to the darkness. God has called you from darkness and has commanded you to live in His light. ((I Peter 2:9, Ephesians 5:8)

Even as functioning in that dark store was difficult, functioning in spiritual darkness is difficult for believers. We live with those who are apart from Jesus and the light of truth. Their mindset and ways stem from darkness. Believers aren’t to judge the world. Instead, we are to remain saturated with God’s truth, walk according to that truth, and spread the light of truth to the world around us.

Has the dark mindset of the world invaded your thoughts? How saturated are you with God’s truth so that you are able to recognize darkness and turn from it? To whom are you spreading the light of truth and life?

Jan Burkhart