Anglican Morning Devotion for 26 November 2021 Anno Domini
A ministry of the Anglican Orthodox Communion Worldwide
“Then Jesus said unto them, Yet a little while is the light with you. Walk while ye have the light, lest darkness come upon you: for he that walketh in darkness knoweth not whither he goeth. 36While ye have light, believe in the light, that ye may be the children of light. These things spake Jesus, and departed, and did hide himself from them.” (John 12:35-36; all scripture quoted is from the King James Version)
“But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief. 5Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness.” (1 Thessalonians 5:4-5)
If you find yourself traveling through northeast Tennessee on I-75, you may notice an advertisement to visit the Lost Sea at Sweetwater, Tennessee – America’s largest underground lake. The visible portion of the sea is approximately four acres, but divers have mapped more than 13 acres so far with no end in sight. Glass-bottomed boats are available to ride out upon the waters and witness the largest species of rainbow trout in the world.
As you boat out into those dark waters, the depth of which have never been fathomed successfully, you will observe a phenomenon that is almost biblical in profundity. The rainbow trout will swim up to the boat into the artificial light of the cavern expecting to be fed crumbs of bread. These have a peculiar appearance – they are snow white. Moreover, scales have grown over the bulging eyes due to the lack of need for vision in the pitch-dark environment. This reminds me of the sinner who remains in the darkness of sin so very long that he is blinded to the Light of God.
The sinner, like the trout of the Lost Sea, cannot see the right path. He is blind to it and will remain so until his eyes are opened by the in-working of the Holy Ghost. When the scales fall from his eyes, he will see clearly the foolishness of the paths upon which he has traveled without God.
Light has many properties that give it meaning and character. One property of Light is that it always travels in a straight line. It does not deviate from its intended path. Neither will the Christian leave the path of Light and willingly walk in darkness.
Science is actually unable to define light, though they have propounded to major theories thereof – the Quantum Theory of Light (or photon wave model), and particle theory in which light actually possesses mass. Neither of these theories can hold water. Light does not obey the laws of mass and gravity, nor does it comport well with the photon wave model.
The human eye cannot truly see light – it can only witness the presence of light by the objects revealed thereby. Only God can see and handle light since He is the Creator of Light. Light, to me, best illustrates the property of the Holy Spirit to reveal truth and righteousness. It lights the way that we should go. Our own light is no less than darkness. “Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.” (Psalm 119:105)
If we follow our own light, we shall perish in the inferno.
Another property of Light is that it travels at a uniform speed in a vacuum. It is the only known physical constant in the Universe. This also comports well with the nature of our Lord Jesus Christ. He is the absolute Way, Truth, and Life. “ . . . . the LORD. He that sweareth to his own hurt, and changeth not.” Psalms 15:4b (KJV) and, “Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever.” (Hebrews 13:8) Our Lord Jesus Christ is the ONLY spiritual CONSTANT in the Universe.
Light, in addition to revealing truth, also preserves and purifies. My wife loves to hang our laundry out on a close-line for the sun to purify it from any microbes or other impurities. My shirts always come out smelling so fresh and clean when sun-dried.
If we are Children of God, then we are Children of Light and of the Day. Our work must proceed in light and not darkness. The lost sinner loves the darkness for he believes it will hide his sins from discovery, but it will not since “the darkness hideth not from thee (Lord). . . .” (Psalm 139:12)
Since the Lord’s elect must walk the straight and narrow path of Light, they are restricted from wandering; however, the children of this world bear no such restriction. They possess an apparent advantage over the righteous – but that is only APPARENT, for the Lord sees their ways and works all things to the good of those who trust in Him. This is what is meant by “: for the children of this world are in their generation wiser than the children of light.” (Luke 16:7-8)