06/23/W – Love and Light

NT: “Therefore, be imitators of God, as dearly loved children, and walk in love, as Christ also loved us and gave himself for us, a sacrificial and fragrant offering to God. But sexual immorality and any impurity or greed should not even be heard of among you, as is proper for saints. Obscene and foolish talking or crude joking are not suitable, but rather giving thanks. For know and recognize this: Every sexually immoral or impure or greedy person, who is an idolater, does not have an inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God. Let no one deceive you with empty arguments, for God’s wrath is coming on the disobedient because of these things. Therefore, do not become their partners. For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light  —  for the fruit of the light consists of all goodness, righteousness, and truth  —  testing what is pleasing to the Lord.” (‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭5:1-10‬ ‭CSB)

As members of the family of faith and sons and daughters of God in Christ, we are called to be imitators of God – just as children imitate their father. As my children were growing up, there were two activities that I was heavily involved in: music and running. I served as a music minister and worship pastor at our church so practicing, playing and singing music was a big part of my time at home. From the time my son was a toddler, I was a very consistent runner – taking the time to run nearly every day for 10 years, until an injury sidelined me. It is no surprise that my daughter has taken up music and my son became a prolific runner through high school. They imitated me, their father. God the Father is love and God the Father is light, therefore, Paul calls us as dearly loved children of God to walk in love and light.

Love and light go hand in hand. Love – at least the agape love that we are called to walk in – is completely selfless. In our call to walk in love, we are called to love God completely and share with others the same selfless and sacrificial love that was shown to us by Christ. Sexual immorality, moral impurity, greed, obscenities, foolish talk and cruel and crude jokes are completely selfish and self-serving in nature, and are the antithesis of love. They show no honor and respect for God nor care for others. They are also products of darkness. Though faith in Christ, we are part of God’s ekklesia – His called out people – called out of a life in darkness, and called to live a life in the light as saints. As God’s light shines on us, works of darkness should have no place in us. The fruit of light is goodness, righteousness and truth. In order to walk in love, we must be filled with light – and in order to walk in light, we must be filled with love. As we are filled with and walk in love and light, as our Father is love and light, then darkness and depravity will have no place in our lives.

Prayer: Lord, I thank You that through You I am dearly loved son of God. As a dearly loved son, I desire to grow up to be like my Father. Help me to walk in His agape love and be full of His glorious light – and as I endeavor to imitate my Father, rinse me clean of all darkness and selfish depravity. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.