And so the question is, do we want to walk in darkness or in the light?
One of my favorite hymns is "I Want to Walk as a Child of the Light." The opening line continues, "I want to follow Jesus." Although the hymn is primarily directed at children, it should say something to us as well.
Walking in the light means following Jesus and living out his commandment of love. The dark hides so much while the light allows us to see everything.
If we walk in the light, we allow ourselves to look honestly at our behavior and shine a light into all the corners.
Are there some habits we have gotten into that we don't think of as sinful? I know that there are those who would be shocked to find out that their language is actually sinful – swearing and cursing, breaking the commandment to not take the name of the Lord in vain.
Do we realize that gossip, even if what we say is true, can kill a person's reputation, lose them a job, or ruin a relationship?
The other day, I was attempting to cross the street in a crosswalk, with a walk light, and three cars ran right through the light. I guess they believed that they were more important than my safety.
And we know that this happens every day with people hurt and killed as a result. Do they realize that this is a sin?
If we are serious about walking in the light and following Jesus, these are but some of the things we need to think about. I'm sure that you can think of other things that are traps we fall into thinking that it doesn't matter because everyone does it.
Let's not kid ourselves and promise to do a better job at allowing the light to shine in so that we truly are following Jesus.
