Daily Devotions
“Whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what he has done has been done through God.” John 3:21
While most flowers respond to the sunlight and bloom during the day, the evening primrose, in yellow, white, or pink colors, opens only at night. It likes the dark.
Likewise we have night people and day people. We must have night people who wake and work while others sleep: police officers, firefighters, factory workers on graveyard shifts, staff members who put newspapers to bed. Day people, on the other hand, observe mostly nine-to-five hours and sleep at night.
There are other kinds of night and day people. Thieves and burglars like to do their nefarious work at night, under the cover of darkness. The darkness they prefer is not only physical but also spiritual. Sin bespeaks spiritual darkness, with sinner shunning the light of God’s Word. Jesus tells us why they prefer darkness; it is a cover-up: “Men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds are evil. Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed” (John 3:19-20).
Saint Paul urges us to be daylight people, “Let us behave decently, as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and debauchery, not in dissension and jealousy” (Romans 13:13). “Rather,” he goes on, “clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ” (Romans 13:14). Jesus is the light, and to believe in Him as the Savior from sin and death is to be clad with the robe of His righteousness. Jesus said: “Whoever lives by the truth [the truth He personified, procured, and proclaimed] comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what he has done has been done through God” (John 3:21).
What kind of person are you? An evening primrose or, worse, a poisonous nightshade? Or are you a flower or plant that blooms and bears fruit in daylight? Christians have nothing to hide. They come out of dark closets and live in the open, where they let their light shine.
PRAYER: Thank You, Lord God, for the bright light of the Gospel of Christ’s redeeming love which enables me to shine as a light in the world. Amen
(Devotions from “With Jesus Every Day” copyright 1997, CPH. All Rights Reserved. No part of this publication may be printed, reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without prior written permission of Concordia Publishing House. Permission is granted for one-time emailing of this link to a friend. For information on other devotional material, please contact CPH at 800-325-3040 or visit CPH at www.cph.org.)