Scripture
Our verse for today comes from John 9:5, ” As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world. “
Background
” As long as you’re living in my house, you’ll do as I say. ” It’s my hope that you haven’t been on either end of that remark, for it’s not one that’s generally expressed in the most pleasant or harmonious of situations. But we’ve all seen it acted out in some movie or television show, where the frustrated parent has reached his boiling point over the behavior or attitude of his teenage child. And as they stand toe to toe, the parent demanding respect and obedience while the child seeks independence and identity, anger and exasperation rule this seminal moment in the future of the relationship. Without intending to, the parent has issued an ultimatum, made his declaration of war, and moved his forces right up to the line he just drew in the sand. Likewise, regardless of what was really meant, the child just heard that there is a limit to what his parent will endure, that love and acceptance come with a condition, and that he is less of a member of a family and more of a tenant in a residence. Like I said, my sincerest hope is that you have never had these words cross your lips or enter your ears. Their effect and their finality may ultimately be immeasurable.
Application
But Jesus wasn’t overreacting when He declared His state of affairs regarding His brief time on earth. His was an urgency no fleeting shooting star has known. Those three short years were but a blip on the timeline of history. And He wasn’t just a cultural influence making His temporary mark until the next craze came along. He was light incarnate, come into a world of darkness, where only shadows of this brilliance had briefly appeared. He had a God to reveal and a world to save, and every second counted. And here we are now, 2,000 years later, reading and singing about the One who came and went. We gather together, we even go and do. But is there that light? Is there an urgency? Are we carrying on what Jesus started. As long as you are in the world, do as He did. That’s the only ultimatum we need to know.
Charge
As we seek Him today, let the truth of living in God’s house as His child be the motivation for all that you say and do.
Read Comments – on Medium
Author – Rich Holt | BCWorldview.org
Donate – to Biblical Christian Worldview, a 501(c)3 Nonprofit
Salvation – Biblical Christian Eternal Life in Less Than 150 Words
Subscribe – to either of Biblical Christian Worldview’s newsletters
