Ever had to get dressed for work in the dark? You tried not to turn on the lights so you wouldn’t wake your spouse. You rush out the door and arrive at work and walk in and someone points out a spot on your shirt. You go to look at yourself in the mirror in the restroom and discover that your clothes are wrinkled too. How embarrassing is that? Maybe you even find out you have mismatched colored socks on. It’s amazing what a little light will do. You can see so much more when the lights are on.
That’s why it is very important as Christians to turn on God’s light in our lives. We need to be in His Word regularly. It is like turning on a light switch. God’s Word reveals so much truth to us. It shows us the spiritual spots and wrinkles in our lives. Unfortunately, seeing those spots and wrinkles can be frustrating and embarrassing. Others might even find out about our spots and wrinkles. In those cases, we have to remember two things. It’s not important what others think, it is only important what God thinks of us. We are to be pleasing Him and not people. Secondly, we need to remember that we are equal with them. We are sinners just like they are. We are all going to sin. We are all going to have spots in our lives that we need to clean off our spiritual wardrobe. We cannot hide in the dark. The Light lives in us now and God cannot have darkness in fellowship with Him. We cannot lie about our condition. God is all knowing. So keeping the light off (not doing Bible Study, not fellowshipping with other Christians, not attending worship) will do no good. God can see our spots in the dark. We need to clean our spots off by confessing them to the Lord. We confess so that we can show God that we own up to our sin. We confess to show Him that we want to turn from our sin and walk in His Light. We confess so we can restore our fellowship with the Lord. We confess to remove the darkness so His Light can shine brightly through us. Read I John 1: 5-10.
5 Now this is the message we have heard from Him and declare to you: God is light, and there is absolutely no darkness in Him. 6 If we say, “We have fellowship with Him,” and walk in darkness, we are lying and are not practicing the truth. 7 But if we walk in the light as He Himself is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin. 8 If we say, “We have no sin,” we are deceiving ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we say, “We have not sinned,” we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us.
Wisdom is to turn on the light and make sure you don’t have any wrinkles or spots. Now go turn on the Light!
Comments on: "Wrinkles and Spots" (2)
Good illustration! I am thinking now how I can “borrow” it for a sermon. Honestly though I did arrive at church one day after getting ready in less than sufficient light. When I sat down on the front pew to wait till it was time for me to preach I looked down and noticed I had one brown shoe and one black shoe on!
Borrow a way! But it sounds like you had the illustration all on your own.