Live as children of light (Ephesians 5:8)
“Your eye is the lamp of your body. When your eyes are healthy, your whole body also is full of light. But when they are unhealthy, your body also is full of darkness. See to it, then, that the light within you is not darkness. Therefore, if your whole body is full of light, and no part of it dark, it will be just as full of light as when a lamp shines its light on you. (Luke 11:34-36)
Paul says in Ephesians 5:8-11, “For you were once in darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness, and truth) and find out what pleases the Lord. Having nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them.”
Geneva Study Bible Commentary notes about this verse, “The faithful are called light, both because they have the true light in them which enlightens them, and also because they give light to others, insomuch that their honest conversation reproves the life of wicked men.” [1]
'Children of light' live in the light and are enlightens through the Holy Spirit who indwells them. Jesus says in John 15:5, “I am the true vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.”
And in this place of living in the light, we bear fruit of the light (goodness, righteousness, and truth). Galatians 5:22-23 tells us that the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self control.
“I want to be found faithful, I want to be found steady, I want to be found faithful until the end.” sings in the background.
Dallas Willard notes that 'children of light' differ on the inside of their life. He writes that their will is in line with God's will. He notes, “Children of light do not hesitate to do what they know to be good and right. They do not think first of themselves and what they want...” They are poised to do what is right and are transparent with others, without hidden agendas. [2]
Jesus says in Luke 6:45, “Good people bring good things out of the good stored up in their heart, and evil people bring evil things out of the evil stored up in the heart. For out of the overflow of the heart, the mouth speaks.”
In the Message Bible, it say, “It's who you are, not what you say and do, that counts. Your true being brims over into true words and deeds.” (Luke 6:45b)
So how do we live as 'children of light'?
Children of light think different.
Dallas Willard writes, “Because their mind is centered upon God, all other good things are also welcome there: 'whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute.' (Philippians 4:8)” [3]
John Ortberg asks, “What direction do those thoughts lead me in? Are they leading me toward life- toward the best version of me? Or in the other direction?” He notes, as Roman 12:2 NLT states, “Let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think.” [4]
Ortberg writes that our thoughts can lead to life and peace or they can lead to sin and death. [5]Steven Covey has said on many occasion that between stimulus and response lies the power to choose. He writes, “Our ultimate freedom is the right and power to decide how anybody or anything outside ourselves will affect us.”[6] When we exercise our freedom to choose based upon our internal principles instead of reacting, we expand our capacity to choose.
And Ortberg writes that our ultimate freedom is to decide what our mind dwells on. He 'sets his mind' to look for the presence and goodness of God in his life, the river of living water flowing out of his belly. [7]
Children of light live the Beatitudes.
Often what influences our thinking is our underlying attitudes and assumptions. Ortberg notes that the result in identical circumstances of having a mindset of entitlement or a mindset of gratitude are totally different experiences. [8]
Albert Einstein once said, “Problems cannot be solved by the same level of thinking that created them.” What is needed is a paradigm shift. A paradigm shift is a change in our underlying assumptions and understanding which create a new way of looking at the same circumstances. The result is different attitude and way of thinking about it.
An example that Steven Covey would often use to explain a paradigm shift was something of this sort: A man who came to a bus terminal with two small kids. The kids were rambunctious and acting out. The father did nothing about it. The kids ran wild and uncontrolled, throwing things around, yelling at the top of their lungs, and creating a stir. You had been sitting there waiting for your bus when this father had came and sat down next to you. A little frustrated with him for not making any effort at all to control his children, you leaned over to him and were about to say something to him. Just as you turned to him to speak, he told you that he just came from the hospital and his wife passed away that day and that neither him or the kids knew how to handle it. Your whole attitude changes ( paradigm shift) and you go out of your way with how you can help him.
Jesus turned people's underlying assumptions and attitudes upside down in Luke 6:20-26 when He said,
“Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God.... But woe to you who are rich, for you have already received your comfort.”
It is in our poverty that we see our need for God and his grace. As we are broken over our sin and come to the end of ourselves and our self-sufficiency, we taste more of God in our lives.
I was once told that I could 'force God to act on my behalf' by my obedience. While I agree that obedience is always good in every situation, we do not manipulate God by our actions. Obedience is not true obedience unless it is coming from a heart of love, trust and worship. Right actions without the right heart result in self-righteousness. True obedience comes from a heart of brokenness. When we think we can manage in our self-sufficiency, we don't need God.
“At the cross you beckon me... sweetly broken, wholly surrendered” sings in the background.
In Luke 18:9-14, Jesus told a story demonstrating what brokenness looks like:
Pastor David Johnson writes, "Those who admit they can't crank it out themselves are ripe for amazing grace...We will be fulfilled spiritually in every way only as we humbly recognize our complete dependence on the indwelling Spirit of God." [8]
In our brokenness and knowledge of our poverty, we come up hungry for God. Jesus went on in Luke 6:20-26, “Blessed are you who hunger now, for you will be satisfied.... Woe to you who are well fed now, for you will go hungry.”
When we are spiritually hungry, we seek to be filled by God. Our appetites will drive our thoughts and behavior. We will seek what will feed us. Proverbs 16:26 says, "The appetite of laborers works for them; their hunger drives them on."
Before I came to the Lord, I remember seeing people who glowed with life and wanting that for myself. I didn't have the same sense of security, adventure or knowing that I was loved as people who were full of life. I longed to glow with life myself but thought it was completely out of my reach. I didn't even know how to relate to people who had lives rich with love, faith, support, and life. When I came to the Lord, everything changed. I tasted life and His love and it gave me hope. It left me incredibly hungry. This hunger began to drive the choices in my life. As I tasted life and realized it was within my reach, I started making choices to move towards having that life.
Feeding our appetite for God with spiritual food, keeps us hungry for more of God. While feeding our appetite with things of the world, quenches this hunger.
Pastor David Johnson writes, “What separates some people from others is not that some are hungry and thirsty while others are not. What distinguishes us is where we choose to 'eat' and 'drink.' What separates us can be discovered by what we define as our 'bread and water.' To have our core needs met, what is it the we must have? The answer to that demonstrates the difference form one person to another. We are all hungering and thirsting for those life essentials – it's only a matter of how we try to satisfy those cravings.” [9]
Jesus invites in Isaiah 55:1-3 says, “Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and mile without money and without cost. Why spend money on what is not bread, and your labor on what does not satisfy? Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good, and you will delight in the richest of fare. Give ear and come to me; listen, that you may live.”
Our hunger and brokenness leads us to turn from our old ways of thinking and doing that lead to death. We begin to live a life of repentance, turning from our old ways and habits to His.
Jesus says in Luke 6: 20-26, “Blessed are you who weep now, for you will laugh... Woe to you who laugh now, for you will mourn and weep.”
“Jesus said to them, 'It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.'” (Luke5:31)
And in Isaiah 55:7 the Lord says, “Let the wicked forsake their ways and the unrighteous their thoughts. Let them turn to the Lord, and he will have mercy on them and to our God, for he will freely pardon.
We come to know the Lord through repenting -realizing our need to turn away from our sin. John's baptism, the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins, prepared the way for the Lord. It opened people's eyes from darkness to light, turning them from the power of Satan to God, so that they would receive forgiveness of sins and have a place among the children of light (Acts 16:18).
In Luke 7:29-30 it says, “(All the people, even the tax collectors, when they heard Jesus' words, acknowledged that God's way was right, because they had been baptized by John. But the Pharisees and the experts in the law rejected God's purpose for themselves, because they had not been baptized by John.)”
Repenting, however should not be a one time event. As Pastor David Johnson writes, mourning should be part of our normal lifestyle. [10] Amos 3:3 says, “How can two walk together unless they agree?” Walking in the spirit as children of the light requires a heart attitude of repentance.
Pastor David Johnson notes, when we mourn, we taste grace. We are getting those things that are going on inside, on the outside rather than pretending. [11] Too often, we pretend on the outside how we would like to feel on the inside. We hide our stuff in the darkness and bury it in shame, refusing to live in the light.
John says in 1 John 1:5-7, “This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. If we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.”
Dealing with our sin directly, turning from it and repenting, restores us as right before God, keeping our hearts tender towards Him and gives us a sense of His joy. Psalm 16:11 says, “You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy;at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.”
Lastly, in Luke 6: 20-26, Jesus says, “Blessed are you when people hate you, when they exclude you and insult you and reject your name as evil, because of the Son of Man. Rejoice in that day and leap for joy, because great is your reward in heaven. For that is how their ancestors treated the prophets... Woe to you when everyone speaks well of you, for that is how their ancestors treated the false prophets.”
Jesus says in Luke 6:40, “A student is not above his teacher, but everyone who is fully trained will be like his teacher.” When we are truly living a life like Jesus, we will be persecuted and rejected. Our hunger, thirst, brokenness and tender heartedness towards God is bound to create a sense of conviction to those who are not living a life right with God. Pastor David Johnson writes, “It will expose them!” [11]
He notes, “When God's kingdom truth is being presented in a powerful way, it won't always be comfortable.... If we are not creating some kind of stir as individual believers or as the body of Christ in our community, we can rest assured that we are not advancing the kingdom of God in a way that would shake up the kingdom of darkness.” [12]
Children of light are enlightened by the Word of God.
We become more like our teacher by letting our mind and heart be transformed by the Word of God. We don't naturally think like God. In Isaiah 55:8-9 the Lord says, “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,”... As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.”
Rather, we need to have our mind renewed. Paul says in Romans 12:2, “And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.”
What we need to renew our mind, is to let His light in through His Word. We replace our thought patterns and attitudes with His. Opening our hearts and minds to the word of God transforms us from the inside out.
Psalm 19:8 says, “The precepts of the LORD are right, giving joy to the heart. The commands of the LORD are radiant, giving light to the eyes.”
In Luke 4, after Jesus was baptized (3:21), led into the wilderness and tested by Satan (4:1-13), and tested by praise of man (4:15), He went into the synagogue and stood up to read as was the custom (4:16). He read, “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom to the prisoners and recovery of the sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor” (4:18-19). He sat down then said, “Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing”( 4:21).
It was the Word of God that proclaimed, and potentially revealed to Jesus His ministry purpose as He read it and sat down. The Word was alive to Jesus, just as it is for each one of us.
Ortberg notes that the best way to read the Bible, letting the light in, is with an attitude of humility, curiosity and open mindedness. I would also add, as Ortberg notes later, with an expectation to hear from God. [13] When we read the Bible, our hope is to be drawn to Him, to be drawn to be more like Him, and to be drawn to know Him better.
Ortberg also notes that our brains are wired to shut down under familiarity. Our minds are more engaged with something new or different. He writes, “This means that when we read Scripture we will be most engaged if we ask questions and look for something we had not noticed before.” [14]
I frequently switch translations as I read the Bible. Reading it in a different version helps me to see it from a slightly different perspective each time and keep actively engaged.
Eugene Peterson writes about reading the Bible, “Christians feed on Scripture. Holy Scripture nurtures the holy community as food nurtures the holy community as food nurtures the human body. Christians don't simply learn or study or use Scripture; we assimilate it, take it into our lives in such a way that it gets metabolized into acts of love.” [15]
We not only need to read the word, but put it into practice by letting it work in our heart and mind. Hebrews 4:12 says, “For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.”
Jesus says in Luke 8:21, “My mother and brothers are those who hear God's word and put it into practice.” It is not in legalistically trying to fulfill the law by our own self-effort that we are transformed but by fully letting the light in, shaping our hearts, thoughts and attitudes -which then changes our behaviors from the inside out.
Jesus notes in the parable of the sower (Luke 8:11-15), three ways in which the Word of God can be choked out, not creating transformation. One way is the devil stealing it in unbelief. Another way is it not taking root and being choked out by testing. The third ways is when it is choked out by life's worries, riches and pleasures. It is only when it is heard with belief, takes root, and is not choked out by the world that it bears fruit.
Luke 8:15 says, “But the seed on good soil stands for those with a noble and good heart, who hear the word, retain it, and by persevering produce a crop.”
Our minds and thoughts controlled by the Spirit are life and peace (Romans 8:6) as Ortberg notes. He makes some suggestions in dealing with worries and fears (that choke out the Word). He says that we should never worry alone. When we are having worrisome thoughts, disclose them to a friend and pray together. [16] As we look to Christ rather than the storm, He displaces the the worry at the center of our lives, and, as Ortberg notes, “The Peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.” [17]
Ortberg also notes that perfect love casts out all fear. As we receive His love, we come free of anxiety, worry and alarming thoughts. He writes that we need to move forward, embracing our challenges despite fear, rather than avoiding and shrinking back. As he says, “We go through this life one time.” [18]
He writes, “We will need to step out in trust.” And says, “There is no way to get the peace of God from our head to the rest of our body besides trusting God enough to to directly confront our greatest fear.” [19]
Children of light have different feelings.
Because Christians let the light in, allowing it to shape their thoughts and attitudes, they are passionate and full of life. Dallas Willard writes, “They love other people. They love their own life and who they are. They are thankful for their life even though it may contain many difficulties. They receive all of it as God's gift, or at least as his allowance. And so joy and peace are with them even in the hardest of times, even when suffering unjustly.” [20]
As we have the right attitudes and thoughts, living in the light, the Spirit of God flowing will flow not only in us, but through us to the world around us. We will touch other's lives with the life of Christ that dwells within us. It is the natural fruit from living as children of the light.
“Let's make the most of our time as long as we are here” sings in the background.
Jesus says in Luke 16:16 says, “No one lights a lamp and hides it in a clay jar or puts it under a bed. Instead, they put it on a stand, so that those who come in can see the light.”
Lord, send forth your light and your faithful care, let them lead us, let them bring us to your holy mountain, to the place where you dwell! (Ps. 43:3). Help us to live as children of the light, living in your light, letting it into every area of our hearts, and letting it shine through us brightly to the world around us.
1. Geneva Bible Study. Located at: http://biblecommenter.com/ephesians/5-8.htm. Last accessed 6/9/10
2, 3, 20: Willard, Dallas and Johnson, Jan. Renovation of the Heart in Daily Practice. NavPress, Colorado Springs, Co. 2006
4, 5, 7, 13-19. Ortberg, John. The Me I Want to Be. Zondervan, Grand Rapids, MI. 2010.
6. Covey, Steven R. Quotes. Located at: http://thinkexist.com/quotation/our_ultimate_freedom_is_the_right_and_power_to/298021.html Last Acccessed: 6/9/10.
8-12: Johnson, David with Allen, Tom. Joy Comes in the Mourning ...and other blessing in disguise. Christian Publications, Camp Hill, PA. 1998.
Paul says in Ephesians 5:8-11, “For you were once in darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness, and truth) and find out what pleases the Lord. Having nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them.”
Geneva Study Bible Commentary notes about this verse, “The faithful are called light, both because they have the true light in them which enlightens them, and also because they give light to others, insomuch that their honest conversation reproves the life of wicked men.” [1]
'Children of light' live in the light and are enlightens through the Holy Spirit who indwells them. Jesus says in John 15:5, “I am the true vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.”
And in this place of living in the light, we bear fruit of the light (goodness, righteousness, and truth). Galatians 5:22-23 tells us that the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self control.
“I want to be found faithful, I want to be found steady, I want to be found faithful until the end.” sings in the background.
Dallas Willard notes that 'children of light' differ on the inside of their life. He writes that their will is in line with God's will. He notes, “Children of light do not hesitate to do what they know to be good and right. They do not think first of themselves and what they want...” They are poised to do what is right and are transparent with others, without hidden agendas. [2]
Jesus says in Luke 6:45, “Good people bring good things out of the good stored up in their heart, and evil people bring evil things out of the evil stored up in the heart. For out of the overflow of the heart, the mouth speaks.”
In the Message Bible, it say, “It's who you are, not what you say and do, that counts. Your true being brims over into true words and deeds.” (Luke 6:45b)
So how do we live as 'children of light'?
Children of light think different.
Dallas Willard writes, “Because their mind is centered upon God, all other good things are also welcome there: 'whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute.' (Philippians 4:8)” [3]
John Ortberg asks, “What direction do those thoughts lead me in? Are they leading me toward life- toward the best version of me? Or in the other direction?” He notes, as Roman 12:2 NLT states, “Let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think.” [4]
Ortberg writes that our thoughts can lead to life and peace or they can lead to sin and death. [5]Steven Covey has said on many occasion that between stimulus and response lies the power to choose. He writes, “Our ultimate freedom is the right and power to decide how anybody or anything outside ourselves will affect us.”[6] When we exercise our freedom to choose based upon our internal principles instead of reacting, we expand our capacity to choose.
And Ortberg writes that our ultimate freedom is to decide what our mind dwells on. He 'sets his mind' to look for the presence and goodness of God in his life, the river of living water flowing out of his belly. [7]
Children of light live the Beatitudes.
Often what influences our thinking is our underlying attitudes and assumptions. Ortberg notes that the result in identical circumstances of having a mindset of entitlement or a mindset of gratitude are totally different experiences. [8]
Albert Einstein once said, “Problems cannot be solved by the same level of thinking that created them.” What is needed is a paradigm shift. A paradigm shift is a change in our underlying assumptions and understanding which create a new way of looking at the same circumstances. The result is different attitude and way of thinking about it.
An example that Steven Covey would often use to explain a paradigm shift was something of this sort: A man who came to a bus terminal with two small kids. The kids were rambunctious and acting out. The father did nothing about it. The kids ran wild and uncontrolled, throwing things around, yelling at the top of their lungs, and creating a stir. You had been sitting there waiting for your bus when this father had came and sat down next to you. A little frustrated with him for not making any effort at all to control his children, you leaned over to him and were about to say something to him. Just as you turned to him to speak, he told you that he just came from the hospital and his wife passed away that day and that neither him or the kids knew how to handle it. Your whole attitude changes ( paradigm shift) and you go out of your way with how you can help him.
Jesus turned people's underlying assumptions and attitudes upside down in Luke 6:20-26 when He said,
“Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God.... But woe to you who are rich, for you have already received your comfort.”
It is in our poverty that we see our need for God and his grace. As we are broken over our sin and come to the end of ourselves and our self-sufficiency, we taste more of God in our lives.
I was once told that I could 'force God to act on my behalf' by my obedience. While I agree that obedience is always good in every situation, we do not manipulate God by our actions. Obedience is not true obedience unless it is coming from a heart of love, trust and worship. Right actions without the right heart result in self-righteousness. True obedience comes from a heart of brokenness. When we think we can manage in our self-sufficiency, we don't need God.
“At the cross you beckon me... sweetly broken, wholly surrendered” sings in the background.
In Luke 18:9-14, Jesus told a story demonstrating what brokenness looks like:
"Two men went into the temple to pray. One was a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood over by himself and prayed, "God, I thank you that I am not greedy, dishonest, and unfaithful in marriage like other people. And I am really glad that I am not like that tax collector over there. I go without eating for two days a week, and I give you one tenth of all I earn." The tax collector stood off at a distance and did not think he was good enough even to look up toward heaven. He was so sorry for what he had done that he pounded his chest and prayed, "God, have pity on me! I am such a sinner." Then Jesus said, "When the two men went home, it was the tax collector and not the Pharisee who was pleasing to God. If you put yourself above others, you will be put down. But if you humble yourself, you will be honored."In Revelation 3:17, Jesus tells the church in Laodicea, “You say, 'I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.' But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked.”
Pastor David Johnson writes, "Those who admit they can't crank it out themselves are ripe for amazing grace...We will be fulfilled spiritually in every way only as we humbly recognize our complete dependence on the indwelling Spirit of God." [8]
In our brokenness and knowledge of our poverty, we come up hungry for God. Jesus went on in Luke 6:20-26, “Blessed are you who hunger now, for you will be satisfied.... Woe to you who are well fed now, for you will go hungry.”
When we are spiritually hungry, we seek to be filled by God. Our appetites will drive our thoughts and behavior. We will seek what will feed us. Proverbs 16:26 says, "The appetite of laborers works for them; their hunger drives them on."
Before I came to the Lord, I remember seeing people who glowed with life and wanting that for myself. I didn't have the same sense of security, adventure or knowing that I was loved as people who were full of life. I longed to glow with life myself but thought it was completely out of my reach. I didn't even know how to relate to people who had lives rich with love, faith, support, and life. When I came to the Lord, everything changed. I tasted life and His love and it gave me hope. It left me incredibly hungry. This hunger began to drive the choices in my life. As I tasted life and realized it was within my reach, I started making choices to move towards having that life.
Feeding our appetite for God with spiritual food, keeps us hungry for more of God. While feeding our appetite with things of the world, quenches this hunger.
Pastor David Johnson writes, “What separates some people from others is not that some are hungry and thirsty while others are not. What distinguishes us is where we choose to 'eat' and 'drink.' What separates us can be discovered by what we define as our 'bread and water.' To have our core needs met, what is it the we must have? The answer to that demonstrates the difference form one person to another. We are all hungering and thirsting for those life essentials – it's only a matter of how we try to satisfy those cravings.” [9]
Jesus invites in Isaiah 55:1-3 says, “Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and mile without money and without cost. Why spend money on what is not bread, and your labor on what does not satisfy? Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good, and you will delight in the richest of fare. Give ear and come to me; listen, that you may live.”
Our hunger and brokenness leads us to turn from our old ways of thinking and doing that lead to death. We begin to live a life of repentance, turning from our old ways and habits to His.
Jesus says in Luke 6: 20-26, “Blessed are you who weep now, for you will laugh... Woe to you who laugh now, for you will mourn and weep.”
“Jesus said to them, 'It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.'” (Luke5:31)
And in Isaiah 55:7 the Lord says, “Let the wicked forsake their ways and the unrighteous their thoughts. Let them turn to the Lord, and he will have mercy on them and to our God, for he will freely pardon.
We come to know the Lord through repenting -realizing our need to turn away from our sin. John's baptism, the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins, prepared the way for the Lord. It opened people's eyes from darkness to light, turning them from the power of Satan to God, so that they would receive forgiveness of sins and have a place among the children of light (Acts 16:18).
In Luke 7:29-30 it says, “(All the people, even the tax collectors, when they heard Jesus' words, acknowledged that God's way was right, because they had been baptized by John. But the Pharisees and the experts in the law rejected God's purpose for themselves, because they had not been baptized by John.)”
Repenting, however should not be a one time event. As Pastor David Johnson writes, mourning should be part of our normal lifestyle. [10] Amos 3:3 says, “How can two walk together unless they agree?” Walking in the spirit as children of the light requires a heart attitude of repentance.
Pastor David Johnson notes, when we mourn, we taste grace. We are getting those things that are going on inside, on the outside rather than pretending. [11] Too often, we pretend on the outside how we would like to feel on the inside. We hide our stuff in the darkness and bury it in shame, refusing to live in the light.
John says in 1 John 1:5-7, “This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. If we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.”
Dealing with our sin directly, turning from it and repenting, restores us as right before God, keeping our hearts tender towards Him and gives us a sense of His joy. Psalm 16:11 says, “You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy;at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.”
Lastly, in Luke 6: 20-26, Jesus says, “Blessed are you when people hate you, when they exclude you and insult you and reject your name as evil, because of the Son of Man. Rejoice in that day and leap for joy, because great is your reward in heaven. For that is how their ancestors treated the prophets... Woe to you when everyone speaks well of you, for that is how their ancestors treated the false prophets.”
Jesus says in Luke 6:40, “A student is not above his teacher, but everyone who is fully trained will be like his teacher.” When we are truly living a life like Jesus, we will be persecuted and rejected. Our hunger, thirst, brokenness and tender heartedness towards God is bound to create a sense of conviction to those who are not living a life right with God. Pastor David Johnson writes, “It will expose them!” [11]
He notes, “When God's kingdom truth is being presented in a powerful way, it won't always be comfortable.... If we are not creating some kind of stir as individual believers or as the body of Christ in our community, we can rest assured that we are not advancing the kingdom of God in a way that would shake up the kingdom of darkness.” [12]
Children of light are enlightened by the Word of God.
We become more like our teacher by letting our mind and heart be transformed by the Word of God. We don't naturally think like God. In Isaiah 55:8-9 the Lord says, “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,”... As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.”
Rather, we need to have our mind renewed. Paul says in Romans 12:2, “And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.”
What we need to renew our mind, is to let His light in through His Word. We replace our thought patterns and attitudes with His. Opening our hearts and minds to the word of God transforms us from the inside out.
Psalm 19:8 says, “The precepts of the LORD are right, giving joy to the heart. The commands of the LORD are radiant, giving light to the eyes.”
In Luke 4, after Jesus was baptized (3:21), led into the wilderness and tested by Satan (4:1-13), and tested by praise of man (4:15), He went into the synagogue and stood up to read as was the custom (4:16). He read, “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom to the prisoners and recovery of the sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor” (4:18-19). He sat down then said, “Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing”( 4:21).
It was the Word of God that proclaimed, and potentially revealed to Jesus His ministry purpose as He read it and sat down. The Word was alive to Jesus, just as it is for each one of us.
Ortberg notes that the best way to read the Bible, letting the light in, is with an attitude of humility, curiosity and open mindedness. I would also add, as Ortberg notes later, with an expectation to hear from God. [13] When we read the Bible, our hope is to be drawn to Him, to be drawn to be more like Him, and to be drawn to know Him better.
Ortberg also notes that our brains are wired to shut down under familiarity. Our minds are more engaged with something new or different. He writes, “This means that when we read Scripture we will be most engaged if we ask questions and look for something we had not noticed before.” [14]
I frequently switch translations as I read the Bible. Reading it in a different version helps me to see it from a slightly different perspective each time and keep actively engaged.
Eugene Peterson writes about reading the Bible, “Christians feed on Scripture. Holy Scripture nurtures the holy community as food nurtures the holy community as food nurtures the human body. Christians don't simply learn or study or use Scripture; we assimilate it, take it into our lives in such a way that it gets metabolized into acts of love.” [15]
We not only need to read the word, but put it into practice by letting it work in our heart and mind. Hebrews 4:12 says, “For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.”
Jesus says in Luke 8:21, “My mother and brothers are those who hear God's word and put it into practice.” It is not in legalistically trying to fulfill the law by our own self-effort that we are transformed but by fully letting the light in, shaping our hearts, thoughts and attitudes -which then changes our behaviors from the inside out.
Jesus notes in the parable of the sower (Luke 8:11-15), three ways in which the Word of God can be choked out, not creating transformation. One way is the devil stealing it in unbelief. Another way is it not taking root and being choked out by testing. The third ways is when it is choked out by life's worries, riches and pleasures. It is only when it is heard with belief, takes root, and is not choked out by the world that it bears fruit.
Luke 8:15 says, “But the seed on good soil stands for those with a noble and good heart, who hear the word, retain it, and by persevering produce a crop.”
Our minds and thoughts controlled by the Spirit are life and peace (Romans 8:6) as Ortberg notes. He makes some suggestions in dealing with worries and fears (that choke out the Word). He says that we should never worry alone. When we are having worrisome thoughts, disclose them to a friend and pray together. [16] As we look to Christ rather than the storm, He displaces the the worry at the center of our lives, and, as Ortberg notes, “The Peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.” [17]
Ortberg also notes that perfect love casts out all fear. As we receive His love, we come free of anxiety, worry and alarming thoughts. He writes that we need to move forward, embracing our challenges despite fear, rather than avoiding and shrinking back. As he says, “We go through this life one time.” [18]
He writes, “We will need to step out in trust.” And says, “There is no way to get the peace of God from our head to the rest of our body besides trusting God enough to to directly confront our greatest fear.” [19]
Children of light have different feelings.
Because Christians let the light in, allowing it to shape their thoughts and attitudes, they are passionate and full of life. Dallas Willard writes, “They love other people. They love their own life and who they are. They are thankful for their life even though it may contain many difficulties. They receive all of it as God's gift, or at least as his allowance. And so joy and peace are with them even in the hardest of times, even when suffering unjustly.” [20]
As we have the right attitudes and thoughts, living in the light, the Spirit of God flowing will flow not only in us, but through us to the world around us. We will touch other's lives with the life of Christ that dwells within us. It is the natural fruit from living as children of the light.
“Let's make the most of our time as long as we are here” sings in the background.
Jesus says in Luke 16:16 says, “No one lights a lamp and hides it in a clay jar or puts it under a bed. Instead, they put it on a stand, so that those who come in can see the light.”
Lord, send forth your light and your faithful care, let them lead us, let them bring us to your holy mountain, to the place where you dwell! (Ps. 43:3). Help us to live as children of the light, living in your light, letting it into every area of our hearts, and letting it shine through us brightly to the world around us.
1. Geneva Bible Study. Located at: http://biblecommenter.com/ephesians/5-8.htm. Last accessed 6/9/10
2, 3, 20: Willard, Dallas and Johnson, Jan. Renovation of the Heart in Daily Practice. NavPress, Colorado Springs, Co. 2006
4, 5, 7, 13-19. Ortberg, John. The Me I Want to Be. Zondervan, Grand Rapids, MI. 2010.
6. Covey, Steven R. Quotes. Located at: http://thinkexist.com/quotation/our_ultimate_freedom_is_the_right_and_power_to/298021.html Last Acccessed: 6/9/10.
8-12: Johnson, David with Allen, Tom. Joy Comes in the Mourning ...and other blessing in disguise. Christian Publications, Camp Hill, PA. 1998.
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