Every time I walked by the living room I'd cringe when caught a glimpse of the carpet. Even though I would quickly clean up whenever I saw one of our pets had an "accident," there were still spots. I suppose having an off-white berber carpet doesn't help...
Tuesday was my big day - time for a much-anticipated professional carpet cleaning! I can't even tell you how long it's been since I've had this done, but I can tell you it was long overdue.
Tuesday was my big day - time for a much-anticipated professional carpet cleaning! I can't even tell you how long it's been since I've had this done, but I can tell you it was long overdue.
Imagine my surprise when Scott, the man cleaning my carpets, asked me to point out where the spots were so he could pre-treat them... and I couldn't find them! Those spots that had been driving me crazy were now virtually invisible.
Why?
Because there was no sunlight to illuminate them. (I know this is no surprise to those of you living in West Michigan since sunshine is so scarce this time of year.)
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| Photo courtesy of DRI-TEK Carpet Cleaning - not my house :) |
Just like my carpet, we are all stained - with sin. We like to stay in the darkness because there those spots don't seem so visible. Our sins just blend in with the shadows around us. Or so we think.
"This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil." ~ John 3:19
Jesus is the Light of the World, and His light exposes sin for what it is. Fortunately for us, Jesus doesn't stop there.
"On that day a fountain will be opened to the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, to cleanse them from sin and impurity." ~ Zechariah 13:1
Jesus has the power to cleanse us from sin, but to receive this cleansing we must choose to step out of the darkness and into His light. So, will we run from the light, or be the light?
"You are the light of the world..." ~ Matthew 5:14
Did you ever notice that Jesus uses the same words to describe us as He does Himself? How amazing is that! When we invite Jesus to examine our life and cleanse us from our sins, His light then abides in us. That's why we sometimes have people leave our lives when Jesus enters in. His light is now residing in us and illuminating sin in others - even though we may be oblivious to it.
"The night is nearly over; the day is almost here. So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light." ~ Romans 13:12
We must choose to put aside the deeds of darkness, then take the next step and choose to put on the armor of light. According to mystudybible.com (my new favorite website) the word translated as armor here describes an implement or utensil or tool (literal or figurative, especially offensive for war):-It can mean armor, instrument, or weapon.
We're living in a battle zone, but Christ is offering us His light as our offensive weapon! Just as I can put Scotchgard on my carpet to protect it from future stains, we can put on the armor of light to guard our hearts from evil. And not just protect us from evil, but fight evil as well!
Lord, thank you for continuing to reveal to me the many ways You will equip me for the things You have called me to do. Shine Your light on me, as painful as it might be, so that I may be a pure reflection of Your light to those around me.
Lisa
