Reason #978
DC Talk was the stuff in the 90's. Every youth group kid had their cassette tape and loudly blared the all too popular song, "Jesus Freak," at every church lock in and Disciple Now weekend. This was completely different from Carmen. While "Our God is an Awesome God" had some pretty legit hand movements that went with the chorus, DC Talk struck a different chord with the youth. I was a child of the 90's, but my brother was a teen of the 90's. He knew all the words to DC Talk's songs, especially the rap parts. I mean, really, what small town white boy didn't appreciate a good solid Jesus rap? And today, as I prayed on the drive to work, DC Talk lyrics from a different song filled my mind.
I want to be in the light
As you are in the light
I want to shine like the stars in the Heavens
Oh Lord be my light and be my salvation
Cause all I want is to be in the light...
I am so grateful for songs as they seem to stick in my head better than verses sometimes. I got to work and pulled up the verse of the day which read, "Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed. But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of God." (John 3:20-21)
I don't understand people. I don't understand the world. I don't understand their fear of coming out of darkness into the light, and I certainly don't understand their desire to live in darkness and flee from the light. Sure, it's not easy being exposed. No one looks forward to that. But the ironic thing about our deeds being exposed by the light is that they no longer hold us captive. When everything is out in the open, we're free. We no longer have to live that lie, constantly keep up the façade, or pretend that everything is okay when it's not. The moment we step into the light, we're seen for who we are. And the truth is, we're sinners. That's what the light reveals. Our sinful, disobedient ways. But when we step into the light, the darkness begins to shrink back. Think about it. When you open blinds in a dark room, the sunlight floods in and all of the sudden you can see. The darkness has no effect whatsoever on the light, rather, the light affects the dark. The same happens in our lives when we step out of darkness and into the light. We can finally see, our eyes are opened, and we realize the truth.
But there's more to it than simply being exposed. There is more to it than our sin being revealed and our crookedness being made known. Jesus exists in the light because Jesus is the light. We don't find Him in the darkness. He is in the light, and when we step into the light, we join Him. We are no longer separated from Him. And maybe we're a little worried about joining Jesus in the light because, whether or not we want to admit it, we know how unworthy we are. We know how short we have fallen and how guilty we are, and we worry that if we step into the light with Jesus, we won't be welcomed. We wonder how the whole interaction might play out. Will He reject us? Will He send us right back to where we came from, away from His presence, because of our wickedness? Yet if you back up a few verses in John 3, we see exactly how Jesus is going to respond. "For God did not send His son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him." (John 3:17) And so that's how Jesus meets us. With salvation, not condemnation. He stands ready to save us from our sin, from the things that have so easily entangled us, so that we can live freely, with Him, in the light. Because it's only in the light that we can really see the truth and it's in the light that we find Jesus and salvation.
#978 - We find Him in the light because He is the light.
"When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” - John 8:12