THIS VERSE IS luminous: “for once you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord; walk as children of light” (Eph. 5:8). This verse is penetratingly true—“once you were darkness”—not in darkness, but darkness itself. It is possible to live in darkness until the darkness penetrates you and you become darkness. The pay-off is the person. You become what you habitually think and act upon. That is the punishment. It is automatic.
It is also true the other way around: “now you are light in the Lord.” You are not merely in the light—you are light as long as you stay in the Lord. That is one of the most important facts of being in Christ—you become what He is. Imperfectly, of course, and always finite, but as you live in the light you become light. You speak and think the truth so that you become truth. You think and act upon His purity until you become purity—a center of contagious purity. You live in His love until you become love. When people think of you, they think of love—automatically.
If you step out of Christ into yourself, you become darkness—sometimes gradually. There was a good man who gradually gathered ten thousand disciples around him. Then his ego instead of Christ became the center. He had visions and dreams and communications which told that he was greater than Luther, which sent him into assumed abasement but in secret pride. He was not to die; he was to be translated into heaven. He died. He was not to decay. His followers kept the body until they were compelled to bury it. It all turned into darkness and left his followers groping in disappointment and darkness. In the Lord he was light—in himself he was darkness.
“A saint is one who lets the light through.” He lets it through and becomes light.
O Jesus, Lord, let me stand in Thy light until I become luminous with Thee. Let me walk as a child of light until I shall not only give the light, I shall be the light. In Thee I am light, in myself darkness. Amen.
AFFIRMATION FOR THE DAY: As a son of light I will admit no dark spots in my character.
