Good morning friends! It's Rodrick instead of Dad today... Early last spring, my wife, Jeanette, started some new seedlings in the sunroom attached to our farmhouse. They were only out of the ground an inch or two—just spindly little things—when we noticed something interesting. They knew exactly where the light was coming from! They had their leaves all turned toward the window. A plant's "light-seeking ability" is called phototropism. Definitely fascinating. Of course, you've probably seen this before. And you know that in order to prevent seedings from growing bent in one direction, you need to rotate them. So that's what we did. But it was impressive how each day they were all turned toward the light again. Sometimes it only took them a few hours to turn. I had to think—how is it with me? You know, life has a way of spinning us around now and then, maybe disorienting us, throwing us curveball... But do I each day turn my face toward the real energy source—the light of God and His Word? Is my spiritual photosynthesis healthy or is it starving for lack of sustenance? Here are a few inspirational Bible verses that came to mind. These all refer to spiritual light:
The Lord is my light and my salvation; Whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life; Of whom shall I be afraid? (Psalm 27:1)
The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; Those who dwelt in the land of the shadow of death, upon them a light has shined. (Isaiah 9:2)
Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life. (John 8:12)
For it is the God who commanded light to shine out of darkness, who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. (2 Corinthians 4:6)
This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice 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 Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin. (1 John 1:5-7)
Why then do we sometimes fail, sometimes turn away from the light? Well, even if we have accepted God's plan of salvation, we are still human. And the devil knows that too. Many times the devil comes to tempt us... sometimes even disguised as an angel of light. Just like the baby turtles who think they are traveling toward the ocean by the light of the moon, but are actually traveling toward their death by the light of the street lamps—so it is with us if we're listening to the lies of the devil. I love John 10:10. It is so precious. Jesus said in that verse, "The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly." Praise the Lord for the abundant life that He offers to each of us who accept His plan of salvation! But life doesn't always feel abundant. Many times life is stressful... and messy... and painful. Sometimes in order to get out of the smog and into the light, we may need to climb a watchtower like Habakkuk did. We may need to intentionally get away from the rush and the busyness like Jesus did. We may need to spend extra time in prayer and Bible study to seek God. Even then, clarity and direction may not come instantly. We may need to wait for it. The victorious Christian life is not a sprint. It's a marathon. Last but not least, even when our faces are turned toward God and we are receiving the full power of spiritual photosynthesis and enjoying the abundant life, the story doesn’t stop there. Just like the moon reflects the light of the sun, so should we be reflecting the light of God’s Son to those around us. I like 1 Peter 2:9. It says, "But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light;" Blessings as you face the light today and always... All the best, Rodrick
P.S. Feel free to share our emails in any way you want. Food for the Soul posts are free for all. We do not copyright any of our material nor are we possessive of its use. Freely we have received... so freely we give.
Comments