This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but
people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. Everyone
who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that
their deeds will be exposed. But
whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly
that what they have done has been done in the sight of God. John 3:19-21
Back when I was younger, there were many things that I would
learn the hard way. For example, most of
us had the experience of the flame on the stove (I have to realize that many of
you grew up with electric stoves that have no flame whatsoever). Mom would tell us not to put our hands near
the flame so as not to burn our hands.
My mom would never tell me something to harm me, but again, I had to
learn the hard way. I put my hand out
over the flame one time too many and . . . OUCH! That’s the last time I put my hand over the
fire. I had learned a very simple truth.
This brought me to the question of our knowledge of God’s
truth. We study and read the Bible all
the time, but many see God as this mysterious myth or nonexistent being. Furthermore, they will question whether Jesus
Christ existed and how many have used faith for wrongdoing. How do we know that God is true?
We have been shown the light through our own experiences to know
salvation through Jesus Christ. Today’s
verses talk about truth versus evil and light versus darkness. To know the truth, the simple answer is Jesus
tells us so. However while we believe in
God’s word, this is also dangerous because if we just go simply believing
‘because God said so,’ we could just as easily be led astray by someone who
puts on a mask saying they are with God (some ‘prosperity’ preachers would fit
under this umbrella). Living in the light
does not mean you will not experience struggle or that we will live a life
devoid of trials. What we learn is that
God is there with us every step of the way, and when we have made our choices
for Him, the experience always shows us light and not darkness. We find joy and not sorrow. In time, we welcome the trials where darkness
comes because through God’s Holy Spirit, God’s light shines through us for all
to see!
The key to unveiling God’s light has always been within
us. Our times of darkness did not oppress
us in the bondage of sin. He sent His
Son to show us the light and free us from it.
God’s word is but a reminder of the light we have, and through our
experiences, we have proof of its truth beyond a shadow of doubt. What questions of God’s faithfulness can you
answer through your past? How can this
assure you of your walk of faith? My
prayer is that we embrace the light of God given us even if we learn it the
hard way. Amen.
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