“For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.” 2 Corinthians 4:6
The light of the knowledge of the Glory of God is through Jesus Christ. It is in the face of Jesus Christ. This is the light that shines in darkness. Light came into the world, but men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil [John 3:19]. John, the son of Zebedee said that Jesus is the true Light who lights everyone that is born into this world [Gospel of John 1:9]. God commanded the light to shine out of darkness in order that we may see the face of Jesus Christ. Light is divided from the darkness.
All things are reproved by the light of the Lord [see Ephesians 5:13]. A Christian does not have fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, and they do not reward evil for good. Proverbs 17:13 states “whoso rewards evil for good, evil shall not depart from his house.” It is the light of the glorious gospel of Christ that saves us from the darkness of this world. As Christians we no longer continue in the unfruitful works of darkness. We walk in the light as He is in the Light, for Christ is the image of God.
“But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.” 1 John 1:7
Let us walk in the light of the Lord. The light of the Lord is the transformative power of God. It is God’s presence in our life. Those who are born again have fellowship with the Father and His son. We now walk in the light and not in darkness, because the blood of Jesus has cleansed us from all sin. This cleansing gives us the ability to have fellowship with one another. We believe in the light for Jesus said, “I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life,” [see John 8:12]. It is Jesus who restores humanity back to fellowship with God and each other. Let us continue to walk in the light as He is in the light.
The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? the LORD is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?”
Psalms 27:1
The Lord is my light, my strength, and my salvation. God created light and is himself clothed with light. The importance of light is the key to our own happiness. So many people are walking in darkness with no hope because the light of the Lord has been dimmed. Even Christians have lost the light of the Lord. I hear some Christians say that it is too hard to walk in the path of the Lord. Nothing I do seems to be of any worth. I want an easier way of life, or I want out of this situation. Is there an easier way of Life when evil is present in the world?
Some of us have been in the mire way too long. The state of difficulty, distress, or embarrassment has broken into the limelight as the focus of attention. This is opposite of having the Lord as our light. It is a dangerous position to be in when the light of the Lord has gone out. It may be that we are no longer confident in the Lord God; therefore, we sit and mourn in our own sorrowful condition. Have we prayed about it? Have we sought the face of God? Do you remember the parable of the lighted lamp in the Gospel of Luke chapter 11 verses 33 to 36? Have you looked at verse 34?
The light of the body is the eye: therefore, when thine eye is single, thy whole body also is full of light; but when thine eye is evil, thy body also is full of darkness.”
LUKE 11:34
The lamp of the body is the eye. What does your eye see? If your eye is witnessing something that is dark within your own soul, you will have the countenance of darkness rather than the light reflected out your countenance. If your eye is pure than your whole body will be full of light. Light as in vitamin D taking affect within our body. We are to have no part in any form of darkness. Are we not the children of light? The answer is yes.
Walk while ye have the light, lest darkness come upon you: for he that walketh in darkness knows not whither he goeth. While ye have light, believe in the light, that ye may be the children of light.“
JOHN 12:35-36
If your walk is not in the light then darkness comes upon you, and you do not know what to do, or where you are going. So many times, when we are in distress, we either fight, rebel, or give up our position. This brings anger and contention. We ignore the fact that we have a Lord who is full of light and wants us to carry His light within our own body. Jesus said, “I am the light of the world,” [see John 8:12]. Oh, but look at the rest of that verse which states, “he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness but shall have the light of life.” Wow! If you follow Jesus, you shall not walk in darkness. You shall not walk in darkness. I only repeat this because if we have Jesus, we have light. Our victory is in Jesus who dispels all darkness.
We must have the word as the lamp for our feet. The lamp lights the way for our feet to walk on the path.
Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.”
PSALMS 119:105
This should be our profession as it was with King David, who was a man after God’s own heart. David was surrounded with darkness, yet He cried out unto the Lord for help. David had confidence in the Lord God. Listen to what David said.
Though a host should encamp against me, my heart shall not fear, though war should rise against me, in this will I be confident. One thing have I desired of the LORD, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the LORD, and to enquire in his temple.”
PSALMS 27:3-4
In this will I be confident, for I will not fear. My desire is to seek after the Lord that I may dwell in the house of the Lord. Are you seeking the Lord? Are you reading His words? Are you praying or having a conversation with the Lord? We must have faith, for all things are possible with God. Just listen to what the prophet Micah said, “when I sit in darkness, the Lord shall be a light unto me,” [see Micah 7:8]. I can remember sitting in darkness while a madman said, “They are coming, they are coming after me.” This man was having a flashback from World War II, and to him, it was a reality even though it happened many years ago. By the grace of God, I stood calm and collected and was able to talk to him and bring him back into the present time period.
For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shone in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.”
2 CORINTHIANS 4:6
God has commanded the light to shine out of darkness, and this light has shone within our hearts. Each step we take is a step towards the light of God. We are tested, and the trials we go through form within us the image of Christ. These trials are stepping stones into the character of Christ. We learn to have patience, endurance, and faith. Make your profession of faith stand strong in whatever circumstances you are in. Come to God in prayer and allow His Spirit to come and minister to your own heart and soul. He will become your strength and life. He will be the light of your path forever.
The night is far spent, the day is at hand; let us, therefore, cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light.”
Romans 13:12
Oh! The night is far spent, meaning that we may have spent too much time working for ourselves and doing for ourselves. We may have become farsighted in that we only look at things from a distance instead of up close and personal. Sometimes things that are seen up close may be too personal to deal with. We would rather avoid them altogether. Putting on the armor of light is talking about personal relationships with each other and God. Those of us born in the Baby Boomer Generations were concerned about relationships. The value of spending time with family and friends. I made it my mission as a teen to find out the true meaning of what love is. The Baby Boomers brought the symbol for love and peace. Anti-war walks against the war in Vietnam and to live in peace by loving one another was the theme of the day. LSD was the “tune in, turn off and drop out,” drug along with marijuana smoking. Some of us thought it was the end of the world.
Does this sound familiar? If you could only have seen what I have seen after a party at a home in 1974 in Southern California where everyone was dropped out on the floor and lying down into a stupor. Talk about zombie land. There was no light shining in this place of darkness. The Baby Boomers may have inherited the American Dream, but at what cost? Married couples worked very hard to achieve that dream of owning a home. Those who have settled down knew the value of love and friendship within the home and wanted the next generation to understand that value. The world was growing at a fast pace where education and technologies were the key to getting ahead and to have more time for family and friends. I wondered what happened to having more time for family and friends. Today, it is Twitter and Facebook that has become the new method of socializing. Have we become far sighted in our own relationship instead of up close and personal? The divide between each other seems to be the distance between the diamonds of the baseball field. Will we ever reach home plate? Why the division? Is it not self-gratification? Yes, self-gratification has taken over in our actions. When the self is not gratified, it screams out for attention.
Not everyone is looking at the full picture. How did we get to the place we now sit in? Many are living in the moment and denying everything else. The circumstances of Covid-19, the lack of baby formula, the logistic issues, the change in weather patterns, the breakout of war, the shootings, the burglaries, and the crystal meth problem has society screaming out for attention? We see it at a distance until it is up close and personal. Some people are demanding accountability while others are ignoring it altogether. Who is held accountable? It is so easy to point the finger. The apostle Paul states to “make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts,” in Romans 13:14. The principal key in any relationship is responsibility, trust, and respect.
He that is weak in the faith receive ye, but not to doubtful disputations.”
Romans 14:1
Faithful servants of God are responsible to make sure that love works “no ill” against its neighbor or to those within the body of Christ. Let’s step back and look at the word darkness. When a room is dark, one cannot see what is in the room, or what danger there is in the room. Without the light to fill the room, one cannot see their steps. If you stand in darkness, how far can you see? Does not the darkness make everything obscure? Is it not the darkness that makes things unclear, concealed, and hidden? The Hebrew word for darkness is “chashak.” It means to be or grow dark. The word “chashak also speaks to the sanctuary of God in being a place of refuge, but it can also take on the meaning of being separated and cut off from God. The darkness is to consume and destroy without the covering or atonement of God. Who is walking around seeking someone whom he may devour? Is it not the adversary the devil? [ see 1 Peter 5:8]. What about consuming one another?
But if ye bite and devour one another, take heed that ye be not consumed one of another.”
Galatians 5:15
Paul is warning the church to not bite and devour one another to the point of consuming or filling one’s mind and attention to arguing and accusing one another. We all will be judged by God. Remember that anyone who is troubling you shall bear his own judgment, [see Galatians 5:10]. We must step back in order to not be consumed by the enmity of an individual. We must stay under the shelter of God. Under His protection and not to follow those who follow after the flesh and its desires. Remember the carnal mind is enmity against God, for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed, can it be, [see Romans 8:7]. Those who are walking in the flesh and who are carnal have lost their blessings or favor in God. We must repent from living in the flesh and come back to God to live in the Spirit where love, joy, and peace reside and not arguing, anger, and bitterness.
To put on the armor of light is to put on the Lord Jesus Christ and make no provision for the flesh to fulfill its lusts, [Romans 13:14]. Whatever I do in life is for the Lord and not for myself. That I cannot achieve within myself, my own righteousness since righteousness is a gift from God, and we all were bought with a price. That price was paid through the blood of Jesus Christ. God sent his son that the world might be saved. This is the love of God for us in that He gave us His only Son. This is the reason why we put on the armor of light, for that light is the light of the Lord Jesus Christ. This is the reason why Paul tells us to follow after the things, which make for peace, and things with which one may edify another, [see Romans 14:19]. We are to present our bodies as a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is our reasonable service, [see Romans 12:1]. This is done on a daily basis for each day belongs to the Lord.
If we are to live unto the lord each day, then we must cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light that will guide our steps in the path of righteousness and not into the path of darkness. Listen to the red-letter words in Revelation chapter 3.
As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten; be zealous, therefore, and repent.”
Revelation 3:19
The above quote was said to the church at Laodicea who is in a state of apostasy. They are denying the truth and changing doctrine to meet their own personal belief. If you are not in conviction even as a Christian in your everyday walk with God, then something is wrong with your communion with God. We must continue to grow into the image of Christ, and this only comes as we learn about God’s ways and receive instruction into the word [the bible] that brings conviction into our heart. If you have stopped reading his word, you have no conviction and you have no instruction into the heart of God. Part of the armor of light is the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, [see Ephesians 6:17]. How can you overcome the evil if you do not know how to stand in faith and put on the armor of light. If you are not chastened by the Lord, how can you grow into the image of Christ. Therefore, be zealous and repent while there is still time. Repent is to change your mind in the way you walk to the way of God. If you have fallen from the grace of God, get back under it by repenting from your ways to that of God’s way.
Let us come boldly unto the throne of grace where we may obtain mercy. If you have any kind of need, any unbelief in your heart, or a weakness, take it to the Lord in prayer. It is only Christ that can reconcile us back to God. It is Christ that has given us life. It is Christ who is the author and finisher of our faith. It is Christ who will keep us in perfect love. May we put on the “Armor of Light” each day and walk in love until He comes.
