Lenten devotions 2008

Wed, 27 Feb 2008

FEB. 28 - YOU ARE LIGHT
By Carlos Gutierrez, associate director of financial aid

SCRIPTURE: Ephesians 5:8-14 (NRSV)
Scroll down for complete Scripture.

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DEVOTIONAL: What are we willing to expose? I am always intrigued about what different people are willing to expose to the light or to protest. I come from a country where protests and public tumult were so frequent that people learned to live with them. Nowadays, there are even Internet sites with full calendars of upcoming protests worldwide. People become so passionate about their personal beliefs that are willing to take it to the streets. I remember one particular protest where women, many of them with pots and pans, overthrew the country’s president.

What do we Christians protest about? How far are we willing to go? John MacArthur, in his commentary about this passage, talks about exposing the Evil’s deeds in these terms: “The Greek word translated ‘reprove’ means ‘to expose.’ Rather than doing what people in the world do, we are to expose their evil. You could call us the spiritual police: our job is to expose the crimes of darkness. Our tool is the Word of God…We are to expose evil by our life and by our words.”

I have witnessed Christians protesting against wars, protesting against moral or economical injustices. However, when was the last time that we publicly protested against bitterness, rage, anger, lack of compassion or forgiveness?

We have been given the responsibility to be light, lets shine like one.

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SCRIPTURE: Ephesians 5:8-14 (NRSV)
For once you were darkness, but now in the Lord you are light. Live as children of light -- for the fruit of the light is found in all that is good and right and true. Try to find out what is pleasing to the Lord. Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them. For it is shameful even to mention what such people do secretly; but everything exposed by the light becomes visible, for everything that becomes visible is light. Therefore it says,
‘Sleeper, awake!
Rise from the dead,
and Christ will shine on you.’


Posted at 11:20 #



Disclaimer:
The views and beliefs expressed in the devotional piece prepared by each individual reflect their own spiritual growth journey and thoughts, and while created in a campus environment that encourages thoughtful questions and reflection on biblical Scripture and contemporary Christian themes, do not necessarily represent the official institutional positions of Goshen College or Mennonite Church USA.