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"Light
for Those in Darkness"
Several
religious leaders once met with President Borja of
Ecuador to discuss a ministry in Ecuadorian
penitentiaries. They had barely begun the meeting when
the President interrupted the conversation with the
story of his OWN imprisonment years before being
elected to the presidency.
He
had been involved in the struggle for democracy in
Ecuador. The military cracked down, and he was
arrested. Without trial, they threw him into a cold
dungeon with no light and no window. For three days
he endured the solitary fear and darkness that can
drive a person mad.
Just
when the situation seemed unbearable, the huge steel
door opened, and someone crept into the darkness.
Borja heard the person working on something in the
opposite corner. Then the figure crept out, closed the
door, and disappeared.
Minutes
later the room suddenly blazed with light. Someone,
perhaps taking his life into his hands, had connected
electricity to the broken light fixture. "From
that moment," explained President Borja, "my
imprisonment had meaning because at least I could
see."
As
we relate to Mr. Borja’s experience, we understand
that with darkness comes fear, anxiety, confusion,
even madness.
With light, however,
comes understanding, meaning, peace, even hope.
In
Scripture, SIN is called DARKNESS.
It stands in opposition to Jesus, the Light of
the world. The
contrast is evident in the words of Jesus:
“And this is the condemnation, that the
light has come into the world, and men loved
darkness rather than light, because their deeds were
evil. For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not
come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed”
(John 3:19-20).
The
good news is that Jesus came “to give light to
those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death, to
guide our feet into the way of peace” (Luke 1:79).
His answer to the darkness of sin is to believe
on Him (Acts 16:31), repent
of sins (Acts 17:30-31), confess
Him before men (Romans 10:9-10), and be baptized
for the forgiveness of our sins (Acts 22:16).
When we TRUST and OBEY Him, God
delivers us from the power of darkness and translates
us into the kingdom of the Son of His love”
(Colossians 1:13).
Then, IF we CONTINUE
to walk in the light as He is in the light, the
blood of Jesus Christ God’s Son CONTINUES
to cleanse us from all sin (1 John 1:7).
Jesus
said, “I am the light of the world.
He who follows Me shall NOT walk in darkness,
but have the light of life” (John 8:12). Even
more important than the light we see with our eyes is
the light that Christ brings to our hearts, giving our
lives the understanding and meaning that only He can
give.
Are
you SITTING in darkness? COME into the Light!
God
bless you!
David A. Sargent,
Minister
Church of Christ at Creekwood
1901 Schillinger Rd. S.
Mobile, Alabama 36695
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