A Shining Light

DEVOTION

THE LETTER TO THE EPHESIANS

A SHINING LIGHT

Eph 5:8-14

8 For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light 9(for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth) 10 and find out what pleases the Lord. 11 Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them. 12 For it is shameful even to mention what the disobedient do in secret. 13 But everything exposed by the light becomes visible, 14 for it is light that makes everything visible. This is why it is said: "Wake up, O sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you."

NIV

Having lived in the city of sin and darkness we know it has no light, nothing of value, but simply has roads that lead to destruction. However, the light of Jesus shines into our hearts and we found the one path which leads across the great chasm into the city of love and light. We crossed over on the bridge which is the cross of Christ. Living in the light is far better than the darkness. There was no goodness, no righteousness and not a shred of truth. But now we have all of them dwelling within us as the Spirit is all goodness, righteousness, and truth. We know what pleases the Lord. It would seem having crossed over from that city of sin and darkness, we would not want to return ever again, that way across was a one-way bridge. Although we describe it in this physical sense, it is only a spiritual city, and we are still physically able to walk around in the city of sin and darkness. But we have a purpose, a reason to journey into that place. Jesus has told us we are the light of the world and we do not hide our lamp under something, but hold it up so the whole house is in the light, our paraphrase. Although as we walk about in this dark city we are to have nothing to do with those dark deeds, but we are to hold our lamp, our light up so as to expose those fruitless deeds, bringing them the light we were brought. Someone shined the light of Jesus on us and we are to shine that same light on those poor souls who are still trapped in the city of sin and darkness. Living within that dark city are dead men walking, their destiny is death and hell. How can we simply enjoy living in the city of light and be oblivious to their fate? Sometimes we think this is the task of the missionary, but that task, that calling belongs to all of us as Jesus told us to go out into the world and preach the good news. We cannot hide away in our ivory tower, the church building, or even in our cocoon of “good deeds” or “righteousness” within the city of love and light. We have to expose the fruitless deeds of darkness and the only way to do that is to shine our light, the light of Jesus into that darkness. We have to be that shining light, a beacon of hope.