I know that all of you have experienced a late conference night ending with the joy of coming into a nice, clean hotel room for much needed sleep. You close the curtains making sure the room will be utterly dark hoping that will make up for the fact that you only have 5 hours before you get up. But the next morning you wake up to what feels like a laser pointer of light, that has somehow penetrated your placement of the curtains and landed directly in your eyes. You cover up with a pillow and flip over in frustration as you HAD one more hour of sleep before you had to get up. Instead of getting up you toss and turn for the next hour not really getting good sleep but refuse to get out of bed.
As I have studied I John this semester I have been rocked off of two themes. God sending the Light, Jesus, into darkness and our bent to love darkness instead of The Light. All too often I think we experience this hotel room scenario in our spiritual lives. There is a breakthrough of light in the curtains of our hearts that wakes us up. And we try to cover up our eyes so as to not see it and toss and turn uncomfortably for hours trying to remain asleep and in darkness. God is so committed to us that He sends light into our darkness and as uncomfortable and disturbing as it may be we should run over to the curtains and throw them as wide open as fast as possible.
Repentance is so counter-intuitive. Why would we want to see sin, why would we want to see failure, why would we want to see disobedience? Because if we can see sin, failure, and disobedience that means the glorious light of our Lord Jesus is shining into our lives. So I believe that John would tell us to “walk in the light” and live a lifestyle of repentance. I have really been convicted at how often I run from repentance instead of running right at it. I pray that the Lord would make us people who consistently experience the passionate breakthrough of light into our own personal darkness. May we be a people who responds to this breakthrough by flinging open the curtains “confessing our sin” and believing our God is “faithful and just to forgive our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness!” I John 1:9 And may believers and nonbelievers alike look at our lives and conclude Jesus is a God that is committed to SAVE and BEAUTIFY HIS BRIDE!
Love You All! Praying for personal and TEAM breakthroughs!
Clint
