Ephesians 5:8-10 For you were once 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.

If every Christian lived according to Ephesians, the world would be a different place indeed! This passage, in keeping with the whole letter, is intensely practical, while being very deep at the same time. Paul is reminding believers that we were once darkness, but now are light in Christ. Jesus talked about this very issue immediately after the most famous verse in the Bible. John 3:19-21 says, “This is the verdict: 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, so that it may be seen plainly that what he has done has been done through God.” This is why Christians are under attack around the world, and increasingly in the US: light makes the darkness look bad. That’s part of the reason some children of the light imitate the children of darkness! To most of us, that sounds all theoretical and philosophical, so Paul gives some examples: goodness, righteousness, and truth. Then he closes with an excellent rule of thumb that the NIV clouds just a bit by saying “Find out what pleases the Lord,” as though we had to go searching for it. A more helpful translations is, “Discern what pleases the Lord.” It really doesn’t take a lot of insight, most of the time, to know what is pleasing to God and what isn’t. Spiritual common sense, if I may coin a term, should take care of the vast majority of the situations we find ourselves in. If we are applying that common sense, then the Holy Spirit will find it easy to guide us in the less obvious situations. Then we will be living as children of light indeed!

Well, here I am with yet another sermon! I will have an opportunity later this month to record some messages for a Korean Christian satellite TV station that targets Japan, and I would say that this week’s passages have left me well prepared for that. The Word of God is incredibly rich, loaded with light and life and truth, and I’ve been given the privilege and responsibility of sharing that with others in ways they can receive, digest, and apply it. When I’m not doing things 100% myself, it’s clear I need the help of the Holy Spirit to get the job done. I need to keep myself available at all times, because I don’t know what appointments the Lord has set up for me. If I’m not read up and prayed up, then I will come up empty when faced with hungry souls. God’s supply is more than abundant, but I’ve got to be appropriating it regularly myself, or I won’t be effective as a deliveryman.

Father, thank You for this encouraging, affirming Word, and for showing me one avenue for all that You have been pouring into me. I ask for Your grace and anointing to impart to the believers in this church a hunger, an openness to Your Word that will cause them to make it their first priority each day. Reveal to them both how glorious and how practical it is, so that they may take it in to live it out, bringing Your kingdom in this place, for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!