We Cannot Truly Shine Bright Apart From Reflecting The One True Light

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We Cannot Truly Shine Bright Apart From Reflecting The One True Light

An early morning drive by the light of a full moon gave me a visual reminder of this Biblical Truth.

Reflecting His Glory. His. Not ours. Not the world’s. The Glory is His and His alone. Not until we realize and walk in that Truth, will we truly be able to reflect and live out that Truth. Reflecting His Glory is a concept so contrary to the ways of the world that it clashes with the “rays” of the world.

We all long to shine bright, right? Make a difference? Be the change?

Truth is: we can’t, we never have, and we never will...apart from Him.

What is manmade or manufactured will malfunction. Artificial light will always dim and eventually burn out. You can change bulbs or batteries in an effort to keep things bright, but eventually anything in and of this world will lose its light, will cease to shine, will grow dark.

But the SUN is always shining, whether we see it or not. It will not lose its light, cease to shine, or grow dark. And the SON is our source of LIGHT and LIFE as well. He defeated spiritual darkness by defeating death, and He was and is and forever will be the LIGHT OF THE WORLD.

Because He is the source of LIFE and the source of LIGHT, things that truly make a difference, things of eternal significance, do not happen apart from Him.

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His Ever Present Light is Greater Than This Present Darkness

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His Ever Present Light is Greater Than This Present Darkness

This. Present. Darkness.

I heard these three words strung together as Chelsey, the host of the Living with Less Podcast quoted verse 12 of Ephesians 6 in the English Standard Version. This verse is found in the passage of scripture that explains what the armor of God is and why we, as Christians, should take up this armor every single day.

When I heard Chelsey say these words, and read them again in God’s Word, it reminded me of a book I read years ago when I first started walking with the Lord. The book, This Present Darkness by Frank Peretti, is a fictional allegory that sheds light on a spiritual reality. There’s a reason God gives us His armor. We are at war with the forces of evil. Light vs Dark. Good vs Evil. God vs Satan.

The sole purpose of the armor of God is to battle THIS PRESENT DARKNESS.

THIS. As in “This” right here, not “that” over there. It is right in front of us. It is creeping up behind us, and it is all around us seeking to devour us. It is THIS present darkness. This one here, up close and personal. Not “that” one, way over there, far away, staying at bay.

PRESENT. As in present, not absent. It is here and accounted for. It is not missing in action, on leave, or excused. It is PRESENT. It is also PRESENT. As in present tense, not past or future tense (although it was present then and will be until the end). It is PRESENT. Right here and right now.

DARKNESS. As in pure evil. Vile. I think there’s a reason evil and vile are made up of the same letters. It doesn’t matter how you try to change it, rearrange it, or explain it, evil is evil, vile is vile, and both are wicked and sick and lead to destruction and death.

I’ve been thinking about this present darkness quite a bit lately. I know that probably seems pretty morbid, but I think my mind goes there because this darkness is so evidently here. THIS DARKNESS is PRESENTLY PRESENT. Here and now. Not a thing of the past or a future threat. And it is trying to not only dim the Light, but to diminish it altogether.

Yes, the presence of darkness is all around us, and this present darkness is trying to confound us.

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