A Person Of Light

A PERSON OF LIGHT

a prayer to open

Here I am, Lord. Remind me who I am.

I am loved. I am known. I belong to you.

Let there be no sexual immorality, impurity, or greed among you. Such sins have no place among God’s people. Obscene stories, foolish talk, and coarse jokes—these are not for you. Instead, let there be thankfulness to God. You can be sure that no immoral, impure, or greedy person will inherit the Kingdom of Christ and of God. For a greedy person is an idolater, worshiping the things of this world.

Don’t be fooled by those who try to excuse these sins, for the anger of God will fall on all who disobey him. 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. Take no part in the worthless deeds of evil and darkness; instead, expose them. It is shameful even to talk about the things that ungodly people do in secret. But their evil intentions will be exposed when the light shines on them, for the light makes everything visible. This is why it is said,

“Awake, O sleeper,

rise up from the dead,

and Christ will give you light.”

We may have once believed that certain behaviors and attitudes were acceptable or justified for one reason or another. Perhaps they made us feel satisfied, happy, or successful. Maybe certain ways of acting made us feel in control and powerful or smart and worthy of the praise of others. But now that our eyes are opened and light has been poured out in us, we see that these behaviors and attitudes are shrouded in darkness and destroy the good that God seeks to build in us and accomplish through us. This Scripture calls us to live into who we actually are: people of light. We know that living into our identity as people of light is easier said than done, as we are constantly pulled into darkness by our own hearts, our circumstances, the evil one, and sometimes the people around us. Yet as we surrender ourselves, piece by piece, over the course of our lives, the light dispels the darkness and we naturally produce what is good and right and true.

• Consider how Paul contrasted impurity, greed, obscenity, and coarse joking with thanksgiving. What do you think he was getting at by doing this?
• Are there occasions in which you engage in the things Paul spoke about? What catalyzes your engagement in them? Insecurity, anger, unmet desire, doubt? What might God be inviting you to as you consider thankfulness instead?
• Take a moment to quiet yourself in God’s loving presence. Ask him to open your eyes and heart to the ways he wants you to live more fully into the truth that you have light from the Lord within you and can live as a person of light. What did God bring to mind?

Father, thank you for new life, second chances, and your unending grace. I can slip so easily into those things that have no home in me, the things that come from darkness and cause destruction. I pray that you would continue to transform my heart and mind. Let words of thanksgiving always be on my tongue so I see your work, your holiness, and your goodness and am reminded that you have set me apart for your purposes. May others see your light in me and be drawn into your love. Amen.