Quest for Hope
People of Light 3-4-16
Ephesians 5:8-17
Yesterday, we read about how the Spirit who occupies us wants to renew our thoughts and attitudes about our lives. Today, we will continue our quest for hope as we read further in Paul’s letter to the church in Ephesus (Turkey—Aegean region) written around AD 62. Is it relevant, today?
Ephesians 5:8-17 New Living Translation (NLT)
8 For once you were full of darkness, but now you have light from the Lord. So live as people of light! 9 For this light within you produces only what is good and right and true.
10 Carefully determine what pleases the Lord. 11 Take no part in the worthless deeds of evil and darkness; instead, expose them. 12 It is shameful even to talk about the things that ungodly people do in secret. 13 But their evil intentions will be exposed when the light shines on them, 14 for the light makes everything visible. This is why it is said,
“Awake, O sleeper,
rise up from the dead,
and Christ will give you light.”
Living by the Spirit’s Power
15 So be careful how you live. Don’t live like fools, but like those who are wise. 16 Make the most of every opportunity in these evil days. 17 Don’t act thoughtlessly, but understand what the Lord wants you to do.
Do you prefer the light? Although I can do it when necessary, I don’t like driving at night; I prefer to travel in the light. I see better; I can predict distance, location, and read signs better. Bottom line, I feel more comfortable and confident at the wheel of the car when I’m driving in the light. Last night, I had some painting to do, but I just couldn’t see well enough, so I decided to wait until this morning when I could paint in the light. It is so easy for accidents to happen or to mess things up when you can’t see well or you don’t know where you are going.
Years ago, before I invited Christ to renew my mind and bring light to my whole inner person, I actually was comfortable in some dark places. It was easier to hide things when my mind placed light-cancelling curtains over certain areas of my heart. It took me awhile to value this level of surrender to the Spirit, but I began to realize Light is my friend.
Our Scripture this morning reminds us that Christ’s followers are people of light. In other words, we are people revealing a different way to think and live. We are on a journey to regain our created identity as children of God (Love). When people have no vision or purpose for their lives, they flounder or perish (Proverbs 29:18). I was reading an article this morning that quoted Steve Jobs when he reintroduced Apple in the late 1990’s. The company had been under other leadership and had forgotten their purpose; they needed to shine light on what was important and regain what made them unique in the world of technology. The company once thought of themselves as innovative and pioneering people; so in order to bring back that vision, marketing ads highlighted influential and innovative people to model. The marketing campaign was called, “Think Different.” Jobs said, “We at Apple had forgotten who we were. One way to remember who you are is to remember who your heroes are. Because the people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world, are the ones who do.”
My heroes are people of Light; they shine the light of Christ’s love everywhere they go. They give me hope. Truly, they live large in vision and understand the purpose for eternal life. They run from evil and although they are not afraid of the dark, they understand the necessity of staying in the light in order to make everything visible. If we stay in the light of Christ’s love, we have a better chance of fulfilling his purpose for our lives…and the Lord is pleased.
Prayer: Lord, thank you for shining the light of wisdom in my life so I can avoid living foolishly. Your light causes me to see the signs along the life path where I am to go. I welcome your light, so I can fulfill your purpose for me as a person of light. I want to be someone else’s hero of Light, today. In Jesus’ name. Amen.