A lovely message by friends Earl and Nancy Burton
“…God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.” (I John 1:5b) Let’s go to the light!
There is a lesson we can learn from insects. At night as soon as a porch light is turned on, insects are drawn to the light. When we walk out of our door at night during the warmer months we are greeted by the buzz of insects that are around the light.
We live in a world, which when compared with God’s Word, is full of darkness.
At times worldly things like fear, worry and doubt occupy our thoughts.
When that happens we should go to the light of God’s Word and replace those negative thoughts of the world with positives from God. “This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.” (1 John 1:5) “Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.” (Psalm 119:105) “The entrance of thy words giveth light; it giveth understanding unto the simple.” (Psalm 119:130).
God is light. His Word lights our path. Whenever God’s Word enters the life of a person, it dispels darkness and gives light and understanding.
Matthew 6:22, 23 addresses this idea of God being and giving light as well:
“The light of the body is the eye [the spiritual understanding]: if therefore thine eye [spiritual understanding] be single [focused on God], thy whole body shall be full of light. But if thine eye be evil [focused on worldly things], thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness!”
According to KC Pillai [an authority on Biblical culture], to a person in Bible times living in Bible lands, the word “eye” is the spiritual understanding; and, “single” means focused on one thing, in this case God; while “evil” means worldly.
The context of these verses give us more information Matthew 6:19-21
“Lay not up for yourselves treasures [thoughts and affections] upon earth [worldly things], where moth and rust doth corrupt [fear and worry breed], and where thieves [doubts] break through and steal: But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven [on spiritually things of God], where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt [fear and worry breed], and where thieves [doubts] do not break through nor steal: For where your treasure is [thoughts and affections are], there will your heart [the seat of your personal life] be also.”
Certainly we want our lives to be centered in the light of God’s Word and the things of God rather than on the darkness that the world offers.
“No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon [material, worldly things]” (Matthew 6:24).
We serve God by pursuing Godly things, walking by the spirit. We serve mammon by pursuing worldly things, walking according to the flesh. In the pursuit of worldly things often a person walks with fear, worry and doubt resulting in greater darkness. Some of the works of the flesh are listed in Galatians 5:19 – 21:
“Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.”
In the pursuit of the spiritual Godly things, we get to enjoy the fruit of the spirit listed in Galatians 5:22, 23: “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.”
“…God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.” (I John 1:5b).
LET’S DWELL IN ‘THE LIGHT’ – to the glory of GOD our Father.
- (The meanings in the square brackets [ ] are from the teachings of K.C. Pillai.)