FAMILY IT! — Wednesday Family Devotional — “Street Hero”

As I type this, I'm sitting outside for the first time in awhile.  After several gloomy, gray days, I am really enjoying the sunshine.  While I’m not a big fan of heat and humidity, I do love the sunshine.

What about you?  Are you a lover of light?  Or do you prefer the cover of darkness?  Share with your family and explain your opinion.

When I was a kid, I definitely liked light better.  Most of that was because I was scared of the dark.  I had this recurring fear that a villain from a superhero cartoon would pop up in my bedroom.  As I entered adolescence, I began spending more time in dark rooms.  I think it accentuated my brooding teenage demeanor.  Now, as an adult, I love a bright and sunny room.

Jesus sat in the dark one night and talked with a religious leader named Nicodemus.  The King of Kings began to explain the necessary steps for being in relationship with God.  Included in this conversation is one of the most well-known verses in scripture.  Read what Jesus says in John 3:16-21.  

As I was reading through this passage, verse 19 really started to bother me.  Jesus says that people loved the darkness, because their works were evil.  I know He was talking about the darkness in our hearts and not actual darkness, but I didn’t like the thought that people preferred the darkness of sin.  I mean, I know sin is tempting, but God designed us to be drawn to love and light.  I began to really pray through this passage as I studied it.  Why would people prefer darkness?  What’s good about darkness?  

Then I had my lightbulb moment—darkness is really good at hiding things.  It’s actually why many kids don’t like the dark…because it can hide imaginary monsters really well.  It’s that same feature that draws people to spiritual darkness.  Like Adam and Eve in the garden, we want to hide our sins from the holy eyes of Jesus.  We’re afraid of getting caught in our disobedience, so we stay in the dark.  We think of Jesus as a giant holy cop waiting to bust us for our spiritual crimes.  That’s why I’m so thankful for John 3:17—“For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.” (ESV)  Jesus didn’t come to get mad and punish us.  He came to save us, to bring us into the light.

Try this little experiment.  Have someone go turn on a light.  It doesn’t matter which one, just turn it on.  Can you see the light now?  Good.  Now turn on the dark.  C’mon, it’s not hard.  Turn on the dark.  Wait…you can’t?  Isn’t that interesting?  Darkness isn’t something you can turn on or off.  Darkness is the absence of light; it only happens when all light is gone.  In the same way, it only takes a little bit of light to take away that darkness.  

Jesus is the light of the world.  He has come not to condemn or punish us, but to save us.  His light is stronger than the dark of any sin.  His presence in our hearts is all it takes to remove even the darkest disobedience.  All we have to do is bring our hearts into His light.

Is there anything you need to bring into the light?  Any sin you need to confess to Jesus?  Don’t trick yourself into thinking that keeping it secret, hidden in the dark will take it away.  Only the forgiving light of your Savior can erase sins.  And that’s exactly what He will do—forgive.  End your time together in prayer.  Thank Jesus for being the light of the world and confess (maybe silently) any sins that you’ve hidden in the darkness of your heart.  Let His light shine in you and chase away that darkness for good!