Lighten Up

(Col 1:13 KJV)  Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son:

(Proverbs 25 also read)

I was looking for the passage that talks about Jesus holding the universe together and as I was reading up to it I came across this thought.  We have been “delivered” (4506) from “darkness” (4655).  The previous verse talks about us being “saints in light” .  Think a moment about the statement that God is light.  

We are redeemed so that we can live in the eternal light of God Himself.  What a calling.  What an honor.  What an impossible task.  Yet it is given to us.

So?  Live in the light.  That does not mean leave all your lightbulbs burning all night.  It means to live in righteousness.  We are to be light in a dark world and we can do that as we allow Jesus to shine through ut. 

Favor of the Month

(Proverbs 3:4 KJV)  So shalt thou find favour and good understanding in the sight of God and man.

What is this about finding “favor” (2580) with God?  One of the standard lines I hear from some points of view is that we can never be worthy, that we can never measure up, or as one author said, we are “dirty, no-good, rotten sinners.”  Yet here it tells us how to do just that.

There is obviously a sense in which we can never be worthy.  We can never earn our salvation.  Jesus did not die for us because we were such fine fellows.  We were lost sinners.  But that is in the past.  We are now redeemed.  We are now to live as those who are worthy.  Paul, the apostle of grace uses the phrase “walk worthy.”  Here is just one example,

(Colossians 1:10 KJV)  That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God;

If he tells us to, it must be possible.

So?  Get in gear.  You were a dirty, no-good, rotten sinner.  Jesus died to change that.  You are now a saint.  Start living like it.