Light Over Darkness
As I write these words, millions are mourning a sad day in America. Along with other senseless acts of violence that did not garner headlines, an activist and author was shot and killed and high schoolers died from another school shooting today. There is no denying that this was a dark day. And it comes on the eve of another dark day in our history – 9/11.
Both of these days are dark because it seems as though evil won. This post is a call to refute that in how we focus our thoughts and how we live our lives. Make no mistake: evil is dark, and the devil does all he can to continually darken this world. But, on the other hand, there is love, and we get to choose.
Jesus said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life” (John 8:12). He calls those who would follow Him to be the light of the world in Matthew 5, and Paul reminds early Christians to “shine as lights in the world” in “the midst of a crooked and perverse generation” (Philippians 2:15).
1 John 2 speaks of hatred being darkness and love as shining light. We, as Christians, must not let hatred and darkness win. We shine the light by displaying the love of God to those around us – those with whom we agree and those we don’t … those who love us back, and those who don’t … those who are easy to love, and those who aren’t.
Why?
Because God gave us a choice. He tells us plainly in His word that He is light and love, and “in Him is no darkness at all” (1 John 1:5) because “God is love” (1 John 4:8). We can choose to live in and reflect that light or walk in darkness with the devil and his lies. Over and over in the Bible we are reminded that light overcomes darkness … every time (Matt. 4:16; John 1:5; Acts 26:18; 1 Cor. 4:5; Col. 1:13; 1 John 2:8).
There was another dark day in history. The day when Jesus laid His life down for us (Luke 23:44-45). And yet, as always, light overcame the darkness.
“There in the ground His body lay
Light of the world by darkness slain
Then bursting forth in glorious Day
Up from the grave He rose again
And as He stands in victory
Sin’s curse has lost its grip on me
For I am His and He is mine
Bought with the precious blood of Christ”
~ Stuart Townsend
AUTHOR: Amber Tatum
