The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him in Ephesians 5:8a,
"You were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord."
As Paul paints his picture of what it looks like to live a life "worthy of the calling you have received", Ephesians 4:1, he points to the light that we have become in the Lord.
All people enter this world in a sinful and fallen condition. As such we begin our sojourn here on earth living in a spiritual darkness. The apostle John tells us in his first letter that we know that we have been born of Jesus Christ if we do "what is right". 1 John 2:29. An entire lifestyle change takes place when we are born into God's family and a part of this is an "anointing" we receive. 1 John 2:27. This anointing brings true spiritual enlightenment to us. John tells us, "Whoever loves his brother lives in the light, and there is nothing in him to make him stumble. But whoever hates his brother is in the darkness and walks around in the darkness; he does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded him." 1 John 2: 10-11. True spiritual enlightenment comes by the regeneration that takes place within us when we embrace Jesus Christ in faith.
Jesus spoke of this spiritual darkness and light in his conversation with Nicodemus, "Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light..." John 3:19-21a.
Many people have gone on quests to gain a perceived spiritual enlightenment. Eastern mystics with a myriad of followers present themselves to us as "spiritually enlightened". There is no end to the claims and hoopla drawing the unsuspecting and naive to a supposed "spiritual enlightenment". There is a genuine and true spiritual enlightenment but it is not found here.
True spiritual enlightenment only comes through the "light of the world", Jesus Christ himself! Jesus said, "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life." John 8:12.
Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share your thoughts of worship with us from your Bible reading today. We'd love to hear from you!
Trevor Fisk
trevor.fisk@gmail.com
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