Living in the Dark?

Both the houses we have rented in Australia have shared at least one thing in common:  the lighting has been ordinary.  For non-Aussies out there, "ordinary" means very poor!  There is not nearly enough lights for our liking, and the light fixtures are a hodgepodge of different styles and bases.  The renters before us in both homes used all kinds of different globes:  frosted, clear, and florescent.  Nearly half of the globes of both houses were spent when we moved in, and the others didn't last for long!  Some of the globes demanded too many watts, and others were so dim they were virtually worthless.  Over time we have achieved consistency with the lighting, though in most rooms the light is poor for reading.

Last night I noticed our bathroom was much more dim than usual.  The light fixture has three spots for globes, and one has been missing since we moved in.  The globe over the sink went out, which left the bathroom ridiculously dark.  So I went to the closet and grabbed a couple of compact florescent globes as replacements.  After installing the globes I was amazed with the difference.  It occurred to me that all along we had been living in darkness!  With two of the three lights working, it was not nearly as bright as when all three were operational.  For all that time we had been in relative darkness, and didn't even know it.

It made me think about the Bible - God's Word - that is a lamp for our feet and a light for our path (Ps. 119:105, Prov. 6:23).  After we are born again through repentance from sin and faith in Christ, the Holy Spirit takes up residence within us.  For the first time, we are able to see spiritually.  The reality is, however, even after we begin following Jesus we can remain in relative darkness.  We continue living in the same body with the same mind and in many ways is like taking over a house from a previous renter.  We are new renters, but in the same old house.  Christ is now our new owner, but the evidence of neglect and distance from God in daily living is still evident.  As we read the Word, illuminated by the Holy Spirit, light is shed upon our lives and we realise we have had light, but to a degree we have been living in the dark.  We begin to walk in the light when we confess we have erred, we agree with God concerning His correction, and take necessary steps to obey.

When the light shown brighter in my bathroom, it had an immediate effect of making me want to clean.  Increased illumination opened my eyes to neglected tasks I did not notice before.  As we walk with Jesus, embracing our own sanctification is part of our calling.  We cannot content ourselves in the old ways of thinking and living when the Light of the World has illuminated our hearts.  Ephesians 4:22-24 exhorts "...that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, ²³ and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, ²⁴ and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness."  What a difference light makes in a house, and how much more pronounced should the transformation be in a heart enlightened by Jesus!  I am convinced we must shine the light of God's Word upon our hearts, actions, and embrace obedience as led by the Spirit before we can shine extraordinarily in this world for Jesus.