“Learn by grace to walk in the light and life of Christ.”
Thoughts from daily Bible reading for today – December 21, 2023
For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth) and find out what pleases the Lord. Ephesians 5:8-10, NIV
The call of the Christian life is to learn by grace to walk in the light and life of Christ. This language of light and darkness is scattered throughout the Scriptures. We find it in the opening pages, with the Lord’s declaration over creation: “Let there be light!” (Genesis 1:3). It is found in the heart of Isaiah’s prophetic vision: “The people walking in darkness have seen a great light” (Isaiah 9:2). And it finds its fulfillment and true fullness in Christ himself, for as John reminds us, “In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind” (John 1:4).
Life is found in Christ himself, so what falls to you and to me is to learn to find our life within his, to daily move further and further away from the darkness of our world and the darkness that lurks within our hearts and instead learn to rest and find our home within all that is good, righteous, and true.
Take note of Paul’s words in verse 10 of today’s passage: “find out what pleases the Lord.” This deceptively simple phrase contains within it an entire world of wisdom. First, it reminds us that there is, in fact, a way of life that pleases God. Though we live in a world that embraces a vision of freedom that allows for infinite “truths,” this is not the way of Christ. Freedom is found, not in our self-created visions of “the good life,” but in our ability to accept the boundaries and limitations of God as for our good and flourishing. This is true freedom, yet it so often feels counterintuitive to everything we see and hear, and so we must learn to follow the second point of wisdom contained within this verse: find out.
Yes, there is a way of life that pleases God, yet it is not always self-evident and it requires disciplined and intentional searching on our parts. Of course, we are only able to search because we have first been filled with the light of Christ. However, a room can be illumined yet people within that room can choose to ignore what they see. Let this never be true of us! Christ has illumined our hearts with the light of God’s kingdom. Choose today to live in that light, and seek out the way that leads to freedom and life eternal.
Prayer
Father, give us the courage and strength to seek out and discern the way of truth, and the ability to turn away from all that seeks to lead us astray, we pray through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Application
What does it look like in your season of life to “find out” what pleases God?
Related Reading
Psalm 119:105; Matthew 5:16; John 9:5
Worship Resource
Lauren Daigle: Light of the World
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