YOU CAN CHOOSE TO LIVE IN GOD'S SUNSHINE OR IN THE SHADOWS

The light of God’s love not only discloses our sins, but guides us on His path and draws others toward His light.

Eternal perspectives              by Sally Bair

Sunshine and shadow

When I owned a quilt shop years ago, I taught various patterns, including the popular Sunshine and Shadows pattern. Made of alternating squares of light and dark fabric, the final result is always a thing of beauty. The pattern is still popular, especially in Amish communities where their beautiful works of art reflect not only nature but their Christian faith.

In such a quilt, the dark pieces symbolize evil and the light pieces are reflections of God’s light. We know that many evil deeds are done in the cloak of darkness. Conversely, light is the place where truth is most often revealed. “Step out into the light where I can see you,” we say to the child hiding in the shadows after being naughty. Light reveals a person’s body language and countenance as surely as dark shadows hide them. We can tell much about a person when standing in the sunshine or lighted room.

The Bible warns us about living in darkness. “If we say that we have fellowship with Him [Jesus], and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth.” (1 John 1:6) John also makes it clear that “God is light and in Him is no darkness at all. …If we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.” (1 John 1:5, 7)

Before coming to faith in Christ, we were “…once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light … finding out what is acceptable to the Lord. And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness …” (Ephesians 5:8-9)

We can find out what is acceptable to God by practice, looking through any darkness or evil that confronts us and toward the good—the sunshine—that lies beyond. Deliverance from spiritual darkness should bring us to look toward and live in the light of God’s Word. Since any bad habits we’ve accumulated may prevent us from doing so, we must make it a daily practice to avoid them.

Through the power of God’s Spirit and our faith, we can win the victory over sin’s darkness.

Lord, thank You for being the Light of the World. Give us the desire and power to remain in Your Word. Help us become a pattern of light, rather than of darkness, that will shine before all those around us and dispel any shadows. In Jesus’ name, amen.