some Light Conversation

"This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all." 1Jn. 1:5

G od is light. Not only is God light, in Him is no shadow of turning. When you think about it, this is brilliant. Light, for the most part is still a mystery. We know much about it, but at best we are dim wits before this wonder.

Light often varies in intensity, however God changes not. It is only when something comes between us and the illumination that light varies. It is the interference not the effulgence that makes the difference. When we are less than what God means us to be, it is us, not God, who needs to change.

This is important. Is God angry? Many think so. Is God happy? Does God change from happy to angry and angry to happy depending on what happens? The truth of the matter is, it is we, not God who changes. "The sun rises on the just and the unjust." The sun is the same. It is something in the heart and life of the just and the unjust that make them so.

This is what Cain did not understand. His countenance was fallen. God told him that "if he did right" things would be different. The problem was with Cain, not God. When the prophets of Baal danced and cut themselves on Mount Carmel they were trying to influence and get an imaginary god to act. (I wonder if angry Christian’s are dancing before an imaginary god.) Elijah’s prayer on the other hand, somehow brought the prophet completely in alignment with the will of God and heaven. Yes, he was a man of like passions as we are. It was not his passion that opened the heavens, but his prayer. Fire fell.

We see things in a broad spectrum of color. What color something is is a reflection (or refraction) of the light. The same light falls on the red blouse as the blue. They appear different because of their constitution and chemistry. In the same way, sins that are scarlet and hearts that are "as white as snow" have as much to do with character and conduct as with the radiant rays that bathe them.

What does this all mean? If today I have a "dark" disposition it is not because God has changed. Should the building obscure the sun, I have a choice. I can turn my coat collar up around my neck and continue to walk on the shady side, or I can cross over to the sunny side of the street. God is light. I must choose to walk in the light.

The problem with doing this is that we will always have a "dark side." But what if the "Light" should dawn each day in us? What if, instead of trying to chase the sun and be as changing as a sundial, the sun would illuminate our hearts and minds. What if heaven came down and glory filled our soul. What if God’s brilliant light should make it clear to us what is black and white, scarlet and crimson. What if the One who called Himself the "Light of the World" became the center of our solar system? Wow. Shine, Jesus, Shine!