John 3:20-21, “For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved. But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God.”
Sheetrock is a very popular wall covering for homes. I will confess, the finishing of sheetrock (tape, compound and sanding) is not one of my favorite things to do. I’ve jokingly said, “If people will keep the lights dim and stay out of the room with a flashlight, my sheetrock work doesn’t look half bad.” Why? – because the brighter the light, the more my finishing flaws are exposed.
I realize that many in the United States probably finished up their taxes last week. Sis. Jennifer and I finished up ours. At the end, we enjoy checking to see what the probabilities are of us being audited. Many are audited every year and there are many who are asked to pay more. I guess everyone would get nervous to some degree if they received a letter in the mail that they were being audited. But if we have been honest and accurate, the audit should not cause us to fear. The audit would only declare the truth we have presented.
In Luke 15:11-24, we read about a man’s son who left home with a very arrogant and sinful attitude. The young man was super smart in his own mind and didn’t need his father’s help. Being close to his father’s house and hearing his instructions was more of a burden to this young man than it was a help. So he asked his father to give him “the portion of goods that falleth to me.” Then the young man took his journey into a “far country” and “wasted his substance with riotous living.” The young man finally hit the bottom when he “came to himself” while feeding swine in the fields. Wow, the young man that at one time enjoyed the riches of his father’s house now, by his own foolish decisions, has been reduced to a broke, bankrupt and burdened servant of the country far away from his father’s house. I’m sure there were many times he wanted to go home and tell his daddy that he had been a fool, but the devil would whisper in his ear, you know everybody will see your muddy clothes and smell the pigs scent that’s on you when you are near. When the young man did go home, he was met with love, kindness and forgiveness. Very different from what the devil would have him to believe.
Brothers and sisters in Christ, the Lord is merciful and forgiving. He loves His little children. Yet, we should be reminded that He is light, and in Him is no darkness at all. The closer we are to Him, the more our faults will be exposed. If we are doing right, or at least trying to do right, we should not fear the light. If we are doing wrong, the devil (often using pride) will help us to fear more. The truth? If we’ve done wrong, we should repent of our sin and draw near to God. He is good to welcome the repenting sinner into His arms of love and forgiveness. The arms of the friend of sinners, Jesus Christ our Savior. Amen!