“What you didn’t realize, is that one light bulb was lighting up the entire cave.”
Shawn Golden spoke that line Sunday as he preached from 1 John 1:5-2:2. “God is light,” reads verse 5, “and there is absolutely no darkness in him.”
We often forget the power that light has. Light takes all kinds of forms in life; our device screens, the fancy Edison bulbs we hang on a porch, the bed stand lamp, the headlights that show the way for nighttime driving, need I go on?
Our familiarity with light causes us to forget how powerful it is.
Shawn illustrated that by sharing about an experience in Mammoth Cave. In a place so deep that no natural light can come in, the guide will shut down the lights. He shared how the darkness is so overwhelming that it produces some anxiety. Until you realize that one tiny light can fill the whole room.
In one sense spiritual light is as prevalent as ever. Go online and you have access to the truth of the gospel - the brightest light there is. And yet, our human interactions and day to day activities are often overwhelmed by darkness. We experience the darkness of marriages gone bad, children without parents, addiction, racism, greed and more. At times, the darkness is so overwhelming it produces anxiety.
So how can we be one small light?
While our minds may quickly run to a good deed or an act of service, Shawn showed us how the passage points us to a light that is much brighter: repentance.
Verse 9 says, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and righteous to forgive us and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
When we repent from a sin, no matter how small, the spiritual light that emanates from that is powerful enough to fill the room. It’s Christ shining in our weakness.
One small light could change your house, your neighbor, your community group, your church, your community, and maybe, just maybe, your world.
Know how to make it?
Repent.
Confess a sin to the one his righteous and promises to cleanse us.
And when he cleanses us, we shine brighter than we ever have before.
Listen to Shawn's sermon on our podcast, The Backpack, wherever you listen to podcasts.
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