(Excerpt from Cheryl Gnagey's Advent Devotional, "Jesus, Light
of the World," for preparing to light the third Advent Candle,
the Good News candle.)
Ephesians 5: 3-10
The greatest detriment to 'good works' is a life that doesn't reflect
the Light of Jesus Christ. The lost world recoils from us when our
actions are different than our words. Christians who are living a life
of sin will likely never have their good works received by unbelievers.
In their eyes we are nothing more than hypocrites if they see that we
are not doing what say. How can we avoid blowing our witness before
those who are walking in darkness? Our Scripture reading today will hit
us right between the eyes with on possible answer to this question.
We are called to deal with our weaknesses and sins through a daily
time of fellowship with the Lord. It is in our time of studying the
Word and praying to God that we can recognize those things that still
need to change in our hearts (inner thoughts) and lives (actions).
Consistently leaving God out of the equation by trying to 'will'
ourselves into better behavior will only end in failure. Have you ever
made a New Year's resolution? Have you ever kept one? Our fleshly
'willpower' is faulty. It will never lead us to eternal victories over
the daily sins we commit. Only the Spirit of God in us can do that, but
He must be released to work in us by our surrender and submission to
Him. We must stop trying to clean up our lives in our own strength if
we desire to bear the fruit of good works that leads others to
salvation. God says that when we claim to make broad-sweeping changes
in our lives, they are nothing but empty words, they reveal that we are
'sons of disobedience,' and therefore we are walking in darkness. Is it
any wonder then that we are unable to reach those in darkness
themselves. They can see our darkness just as easily as we can see
theirs. The world looks for the Light, but they can't see it because we
are still living so much of the time in the darkness of our own sin
because we have never surrendered it to God.
Look closely at verses 7-10 again. God is clearly telling us that if
we want to change our sinful habits, then we will have to stop walking
like those who are in darkness. God does not desire our empty words.
He knows that we formerly, when we were still lost, tried to make all
kinds of changes through our own power and strength. But now that we
are the light, He wants us to walk like children of the Light.
The way that we do that, in part, is to begin to discover what it is
that truly pleases the Lord. And just how do we do that? By reading
the only Book that will reveal His heart to us! When we read and pray
about what He discloses to us, then He will begin to
make the changes necessary in us by His Spirit. There is no magic fairy
dust that can be sprinkled on us that will simply change us because God
wants us transformed. He requires our surrender first, then our
obedience to all He says. That is the recipe for His Light to shine out of us.
When we become involved with God at that level, the fruit of out
relationship with Him will become evident to all. In verse 9 God
clearly states what the 'fruit of the light' is. It is all goodness,
all righteousness, and all truth. When we walk in God's light by our
deep fellowship with Him, the fruit of good works will quite naturally
spring up in us and out of us. You won't have to look for ways to share
your faith. You won't have to muster up the courage to share. It will
simply be the by-product of your loving, intimate, relationship with THE Light!
His light will be reflected in your good works that He has called you
to. Then those in the darkness who witness your good works will see a
reflection of Jesus, the Light of the world. Then, given a chance, the
Holy Spirit will move in their lives. And with the Spirit, there is
always an opportunity for them to meet Jesus personally! And isn't that
the point? Jesus the Light desires and calls us to be the light to the
world for the sole purpose of pointing others to the Light! That is
preaching the gospel!
What will the world, those still lost in darkness of their sin, see
in you this Christmas season? Will they see that you are just as
greedy, impatient, irritated, short-fused, grouchy, and self-centered as
they are? Or will they see something different, a light coming out of
you that is loving and compassionate, a light surely not of this world?
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