When truth comes, every dishonest and deceitful thing is fully made known.
When the authentic turns up, everything inauthentic is confronted.
When light shines, every shred of darkness disappears.
…unless there is something blocking the light allowing shadows to remain and lurk in the background.
We block the light in our lives when we dishonestly hide things from God or people. Dishonesty will cast shadows through our entire life that remain until we decide to get truly honest and repent.
We block the light when we hold onto hurts, when we don’t forgive, when we tolerate envy, jealousy, and bitter resentment in our heart. It’s like having great big stinking, garbage piles in our heart. It blocks God’s light.
We block the light in our lives when we are full of pretense, all show, have a carefully crafted version of ourselves, image managing or protecting. This is primarily borne from a heart that fears man: insecurity. It’s trying to impress man. God is not impressed.
Fear, guilt, shame, addiction, dishonest behavior, are all deep dark sin-infested things and they love hiding out in the shadows of our lives, where they are free to hold oppressive power over us. I am talking about the Christian who loves Jesus, yet is living life with hidden stuff. This stuff does us in the longer we keep it hidden.
…God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. If we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.
If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word is not in us, 1John 1:5-10.
Simply put, honesty with God, about everything, holding nothing back, frees us to live a pure light-filled life before Him because of what Jesus has done for us. Honesty brings authenticity. Only then can we live in close relationship with God our Father. Which in turn causes us to live in close relationship with our brother and sister. Nothing manufactured or fake. Just true ease of relationship, acceptance of one-another, we know we are loved, so we easily love others… Isn’t this a great picture of what church is!
God wants us living true, authentic, light-filled lives. Then the church can be a beacon of light and hope to the world…
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