People of light.

I like how the verse compares two things: darkness and light. It shows us that there are two polar ends one which resembles darkness and the other light. We once were in darkness, when we lived in sin and could not uphold the law of God. However, Christ came and died for our sins so we could be washed clean of the sins that once clung onto us and as the Holy Spirit takes residence in us, we have God’s light in us.

I find that sometimes people want to treat the word of God as a buffet, where they pick and choose the parts they agree with and they leave the parts that are challenging or that make them uncomfortable. This is not the right approach to God’s word. We are to take the word of God in its entirety as it has been presented to us in the Bible and apply it to our lives.

I recently heard someone say, “Just because something is popular or is common does not make it right”. If the standards or moral values of society plummet into darkness, we are not to go along with it as children of God. We are to live as people of light. It does not matter if everyone else if doing it. We should not behave as children but seek after spiritual maturity that we may stand by the principles given to us in the word of God. Our verse today tells us to “live as people of light”. That is not a suggestion, it is a command.

Living as people of light requires us to be uncompromising when it comes to doing things God’s way. That is not to say we are perfect but it means we live out our lives following the example of the One who is perfect, Jesus. Jesus, as full of love as He was, did not condone sin. In fact, in John 8:11 Jesus said, “…Go and sin no more”. It is God’s heart to restore us to Himself and to help us live out our lives in His light. 1 Peter 2:15 says, “It is God’s will that your honorable lives should silence those ignorant people who make foolish accusations against you”.

We are “children of the light and of the day; we don’t belong to darkness and night”, Thessalonians 5:5. Therefore, let us ask the Holy Spirit to help us each day in making the right choices that enable us to live as a people of light. We have a Helper to guide us as we journey on through life. Let us reach out to Him for the help we need in living as a people of light.

Have a blessed week!