September 18
‘This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light.’ John 3:19a
Bible reading: 2 Corinthians 4:1-6 (Go to the Bible passage)
What will a child do that enters a room, his hands full of toys, when something even more attractive is offered to him? He will first try to take the new, more attractive toy as well, but when he reaches out to take it, everything he had falls on the floor. Maybe he will start crying because of the toys he has lost, but the joy of the new-found toy may also get the upper hand, and his empty hands are filled with the thing which caused him to let go of what he had before.
So it is with faith. Once we have understood how great the wealth of the new life is that God gives us, we reach out towards it. And in doing so, we lose whatever we were clutching on to so desperately. The most unhappy people are those who then grieve because of what they have lost.
But those who reach out to what God gives with all their hearts, those people even forget the old and consider it garbage (Philippians 3:8). When we do so, we become ashamed of the things that formerly attracted us, we even come to hate them because we start seeing all things for what they really are, thanks to the light of God. The light of God reveals the truth, shockingly and realistically.
The devil will always attempt to blind us, so that we cannot see the light of God’s gospel, but the Light is shining in this world and those who see it, either flee from it or allow the revealing Light to penetrate their hearts. And what a wonderful deliverance then takes place! Who would still flee when he sees what the light brings about in his life?
Of course, then it is over and done with our illusionary peace. For when we see the truth in Christ, true liberation is at the doorstep.

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