IN GOD, THERE IS NO DARKNESS - PART 3

WEDNESDAY 14 JUNE 2023

I don't think that there is any blessing as tremendous as the blessing of walking with God, the light Himself. More below!

Reference: 1 John 1:5 New Living Translation (NLT) "This is the message we heard from Jesus and now declare to you: God is light, and there is no darkness in him at all."

In the light of the glorious gospel, we see God as the Father of lights. The book of James says, "Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow" (James 1:17 NASB). In Exodus 19:9 (NLV), the Lord said to Moses, "See, I will come to you in a thick cloud, which denotes a heavenly light."

God is a sacred atmosphere of light, and this light is part of the mind-blowing features that make up His glory. When God said to Moses, "See, I will come to you in a thick cloud", we can remember that the full blaze of His glory accompanied His face when He met with Moses. Moses had to hide in a cleft of the rock while the God's glory passed by. By seeing only its outskirts, Moses reflected the radiance left behind after it, and the capacity of the radiance was to a powerful extent that the Israelites and the leaders of their community could not look steadily at Moses' face when he came back to meet with them (see Exodus 34:29-35 NIV).

Moreover, the children of Israel had to set themselves apart to be holy, as they approached the holy God, otherwise they would die (Exodus 19:10-25 NLT). Gracefully, in Pauline epistolary speech regarding the greater glory of the new Covenant, he noted, "Now if the ministry that brought death, which was engraved in letters on stone, came with glory, so that the Israelites could not look steadily at the face of Moses because of its glory, transitory though it was, will not the ministry of the Spirit be even more glorious? If the ministry that brought condemnation was glorious, how much more glorious is the ministry that brings righteousness! For what was glorious has no glory now in comparison with the surpassing glory. And if what was transitory came with glory, how much greater is the glory of that which lasts!

Therefore, since we have such a hope, we are very bold. We are not like Moses, who would put a veil over his face to prevent the Israelites from seeing the end of what was passing away. But their minds were made dull, for to this day the same veil remains when the old covenant is read. It has not been removed, because only in Christ is it taken away. Even to this day when Moses is read, a veil covers their hearts. But whenever anyone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord's glory, are being transformed into His image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit (2 Corinthians 3:7-18 NIV).

Beloved, just as God who called you is holy, and in His glory-cloud, there is not darkness at all, be holy in all you do, since it is written, "You shall be holy, for I am holy" (1 Peter 1:16 ESV). How do we become holy? If we keep living by His Word, it will keep us Holy, such that we shall not walk in darkness. Firstly, encourage the devotional study, with constant use of the Bible, which is the food by which we grow in the Lord. Secondly, ensure you form the habit of prayer. Thirdly, live as a new creation, set apart for God because you are indeed, a child of light. Ephesians 5:8 (NLT) says, "For once you were full of darkness, but now you have light from the Lord. So live as people of light!"

When all of these are consistently maintained, they condition us to conform of our lives, day by day, to the knowledge of God. As we turn His covenant principles into action, they make our lives the manifestation of God's perfect will - in holiness, such that we gain both the comprehensiveness of His perfections and the depths of Christian character. Indeed, if you are born again, you are a light in the Lord; keep walking in His light, and you will shine brighter and brighter. Shalom!

Scripture Reading - Leviticus 20:26; Matthew 5:48; Romans 12:1-2; Ephesians 1:4; 1 Peter 2:9; Revelation 15:4.

Guided Prayer: Heavenly Father, you satisfy my heart with your glorious perfections in the Kingdom of light. The depth and infinite effects of your light is breathtaking. When it shines, no darkness can comprehend it; and no impurity can survive it. Thank you Lord for the profound understanding of my newness of life in Christ, which has enabled me to consciously function in the light, in Jesus' Name, Amen!