Twin City church of Christ Blog
“Oct 25, 2024 - Light and Dark”
Categories: 2024 Reading DevotionalsLight and Dark
Reading: Ephesians 5:8-14
The Bible often uses light and dark to describe the difference between good and evil. Paul urges Christians not to involve themselves in worldly activities “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”(Eph 5:8-10). Paul does not just say that Christians once were in darkness, but that we once were darkness and now we are light. We have been shown the goodness, righteousness, and truth that are in Christ and they have become a part of our character. That now needs to play out in our choices as we “try to discern what is pleasing to the Lord.”
Specifically this has applications to our associations with worldly people. “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”(Eph 5:11-14). We must distance ourselves from the things we once were a part of—and perhaps also from those who continue to practice them. This is not because we are “too good” for such activities, but because we have learned from Jesus how evil they are and we want to live in a higher, cleaner way. We have become light, which means that we don’t want to be a part of the darkness anymore.
Passages like these challenge us because life is rarely so black-and-white. We must make decisions about our activities, words, friendships, attitudes, and money in which good and evil are not always apparent. Yet freedom in Christ does not mean that all choices are now fine; Paul’s wording here rules that out. Our goal is to “discern what is pleasing to the Lord” and “look carefully then how you walk”(Eph 5:15), continually aware of the danger of stepping out of the light and back into darkness.
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One Thing to Think About: Why is it sometimes hard to tell good from evil?
One Thing to Pray For: Discernment of the will of God in my everyday decisions
