LIGHT REJECTS THE DARKNESS
Don’t participate in the things these people do. For once you were full of darkness, but now you have light from the Lord. So live as people of light! For this light within you produces only what is good and right and true. Carefully determine what pleases the Lord.
Ephesians 5:7-10 (NLT)
Holiday food is one of the best things in the world. When discussing excitement over the holidays, people regularly highlight hanging out with family (hopefully) and food. If you’re reading this devotional near its intended day, Christmas of 2025 is over. My hope and prayer for you is that you ate delicious food to your heart’s content. There are few feelings as satisfying as being full.
Spiritually, we need to be careful about how we fill ourselves. In the preceding verses of Ephesians 5, Paul highlights some behavior that perpetuates darkness in us and the world: sexual impurity, covetousness, filthiness, foolish talk, ribaldry and idolatry. To practice these things is to be full of darkness. The fuller we are of something, the more it spills out, and the less of anything else can fit. Paul is adamant that these behaviors have no place in the life and the heart of a follower of Jesus.
To choose light, we must reject darkness. Unfortunately, the church is full of Christians who dabble in the light but regularly choose to fill themselves with darkness. In this scenario, people don’t get an accurate view of who God is and the saving power He provides. Christians who dabble in the light look like the rest of the world.
God’s power produces good, right and true things in us. God fills us with His light, with Himself, which allows good, right and true things to spill out of us. So, live as people of light!
APPLICATION: God wants to fill us with His light, but verse 10 shows that we need skin in the game: Carefully determine what pleases the Lord. Think back on today or the last few days. When have you made God smile? What acts of light have made Him proud of you? Praise and thank Him for those opportunities to share His light. If there are areas of darkness, take time to lift those things to Him, to reject the darkness and to ask Him to shine His light on them.
PRAYER: Lord of light, thank You for Your power. Fill me with Your goodness, Your rightness and Your truth so all these things will pour out of me. Help me to reject the dark through Your power. Amen.
“… Our Father in heaven…” Matthew 6:9b (NLT)
- What do You want to say to me today as my Father?
“… may Your name be kept holy.” Matthew 6:9c (NLT)
- What do You want to reveal to me about Your power today?
“May Your Kingdom come soon.” Matthew 6:10a (NLT)
- Help me make Your priorities my priorities today.
“Give us today the food we need,” Matthew 6:11 (NLT)
- Is there anything specific You want me to do with my time or the people I’m around today?
“and forgive us our sins, as we have forgiven those who sin against us” Matthew 6:12 (NLT)
- Reveal to me anyone I need to forgive or ask for forgiveness.
“And don’t let us yield to temptation…” Matthew 6:13a (NLT)
- Is there anywhere I’m vulnerable to temptation?