1Be imitators of God,
therefore, as dearly loved
children 2and live a life of
love, just as Christ loved us
and gave himself up for us as a
fragrant offering and sacrifice
to God.
3But among you
there must not be even a hint of
sexual immorality, or of any
kind of impurity, or of greed,
because these are improper for
God's holy people. 4Nor should
there be obscenity, foolish talk
or coarse joking, which are out
of place, but rather
thanksgiving. 5For of this you
can be sure: No immoral, impure
or greedy person-such a man is
an idolater-has any inheritance
in the kingdom of Christ and of
God.[a] 6Let no one deceive you
with empty words, for because of
such things God's wrath comes on
those who are disobedient.
7Therefore do not be partners
with them.
8For you
were once darkness, but now you
are light in the Lord. Live as
children of light 9(for the
fruit of the light consists in
all goodness, righteousness and
truth) 10and find out what
pleases the Lord. 11Have nothing
to do with the fruitless deeds
of darkness, but rather expose
them. 12For it is shameful even
to mention what the disobedient
do in secret. 13But everything
exposed by the light becomes
visible, 14for it is light that
makes everything visible. This
is why it is said:
"Wake
up, O sleeper, rise from the
dead, and Christ will shine on
you." (Ephesians 5:1-14)
Thought:
The U.S. News & World Report
article grabbed my attention
with the title "This Little
Light of Mine." No, it wasn't
about the song that kids sing in
Sunday school. It was about a
new way to confirm each person's
identification, based on unique
physical qualities.
Here's how it works. Something
called a light-print sensor
measures the way your skin
filters light rays. Blood
capillaries, skin thickness, and
other factors determine how the
skin reflects light and creates
a unique pattern. Scientists are
designing a light gun with
sensors that will be able to
identify you by the way light
reflects off your skin. The
goal, as with fingerprint
analyzers and eye-scanners, is
to create a way for security
people to be sure of your
identity.
This reminds
me of the way the Bible refers
to our identity in terms of how
much light we give off. In
Proverbs 13:9, for example, we
read, "The light of the
righteous shines brightly."
Jesus told His followers, "You
are the light of the world"
(Matthew 5:14). And Paul wrote,
"You were once darkness, but now
you are light in the Lord. Live
as children of light" (Ephesians
5:8).
So what's with all
this emphasis on light? You may
have noticed in each of the
verses above that the issue is
not primarily how God sees us
but what other people see when
they look at us. In other words,
the "light" we give off is an
indicator of our spiritual
identity.
We're
obviously not talking about
wattage here, but
characteristics that reveal
whether or not we belong to
Christ. In Paul's letter to the
Ephesians, he drew a sharp
contrast between those who live
in darkness and those who "live
as children of light" (5:8). And
he provided several examples of
behavior that reveal our
spiritual identity. (If you
haven't read it yet, check out
Ephesians 5:1-14.)
So,
if some techie-type person could
develop a scanning device that
can factor in the character
qualities listed in Ephesians 5
(and elsewhere in the Bible),
what would it indicate about
you? Is it obvious to people
around you that you belong to
Christ? Or has your light gotten
a little dim?
If Christ
is your Savior, you were meant
to shine!
Questions to consider:
* In reflecting Christ, am I
like a 100-watt bulb, a 60-watt
bulb, or a 15-watt bulb?
* What causes my light to
dim? What helps me to shine more
brightly?
Links: (When avail. copy & paste
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