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More Light, Less Noise
A
delegation of well-meaning patriots tried to impress
upon President Abraham Lincoln the gravity of the American
Civil War.* They implied that his administration
was neither as wise nor as proficient as it ought to
be. He listened carefully, and then responded
with a memorable anecdote...
He told them that he once had a neighbor who found
himself in a tight situation. He was traveling home
one DARK and rainy night. There were few bridges in
the country and he came to a stream that he would have
to wade across. But because of the darkness and the
rain, he couldn't see well enough to know just where
to cross.
Lightning
flashed and he saw his way for the briefest
moment. But the man was perplexed because there
seemed to be more thunder than lightning. He was
convinced that every lightning flash was followed by
several loud peals of thunder. The poor man just stood
at the edge of the stream in his confusion about how
to proceed. He finally prayed,"O Lord, if it's
just the same to you, give me more light and less
noise." The delegation clearly got the
point that the president needed more solutions and
less complaining - more LIGHT
and less NOISE!
Whether
we realize it or not, YOU and I are also involved in a
critical WAR!
It is a war of good vs. evil -AND- our very SOULS
are at stake!
Satan, our archenemy, seeks to blind us -- to
keep us in the dark -- "lest the light of the
gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of
God, should shine on us" (2 Corinthians 4:4).
He tries to distract us with a lot of "NOISE"
- like life's worries, riches, and pleasures (Luke
8:14) - to keep us from finding the Light that
illuminates the path to the truly ABUNDANT LIFE NOW
(John 10:10) and ETERNAL LIFE TO COME
(Mark 10:28-30).
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).
Jesus has revealed the correct
path in life for us to follow.
His Word - the Word of God - "is a LAMP
to our feet
and a LIGHT to our
path" (Psalm 119:105).
Through His Word, we are enlightened
to the fact that God loves each one of us and that He
wants us to follow Him.
The "well-lit path" is one of: faith
(Hebrews 11:6) repentance
(2Corinthians 7:9-10) confession
(Romans 10:9-10), and baptism
in the name of Christ for the forgiveness of our sins
(Acts 2:38). When
we follow this path, we are brought "out of
darkness into His marvelous light" (1 Peter 2:9).
Then, as we CONTINUE to walk in the light of
His Word, the darkness of SIN is CONTINUALLY
cleansed from our lives (1 John 1:7).
Abraham
Lincoln was right.
What we need is a lot more LIGHT... and much
less NOISE!
God
bless you.
David A. Sargent, Minister
Church of Christ at Creekwood
1901 Schillinger Rd. S.
Mobile, Alabama 36695
*As re-told by Steve Goodier
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