A story is told of a young Robert Lewis Stevenson who spent much of his childhood in poor health. One night his nurse found him with his nose pressed against the frosty pane of his bedroom window. “Child, come away from there. You’ll catch your death of cold,” she fussed.
But young Robert wouldn’t budge. He sat, mesmerized, as he watched an old lamplighter slowly working his way through the black night, lighting each streetlamp along his route. Pointing, Robert exclaimed, “See; look there; there’s a man poking holes in the darkness.”
At times it seems we live in a very dark world filled with pain and suffering. We ask; “Why is this so?”
Ever since the fall in Genesis 3, when Adam and Eve decided to take matters into their own hands and make decisions apart form their Creator God, things in this world began spiraling out of control poisoning God’s good creation. The word we have for this is sin.
We see sin’s effects in three ways;
- When we attempt to “run our own show”; “do what seems right in our own eyes” without any thought of the Creator of all things.
- When others are running their show and it happens to collide with ours.
- When the world system we live in is constantly “squeezing us into its mold.” We are being bombarded daily with messages that are directed at our own selfish desires.
For the world offers only a craving for physical pleasure, a craving for everything we see, and pride in our achievements and possessions. These are not from the Father, but are from this world. 1 John 2:16 NLT
Well, that’s enough of the bad news.
Here’s the Good News. Life with God is available to anyone who will choose it. Thank You Jesus!
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. John 1:1-5 ESV
So Jesus again said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. All who came before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly. John 10:7-10 ESV
To His followers/disciples/apprentices Jesus says…
This week find ways to let the light of Jesus shine on those around you.
Poke holes in the darkness!