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Day Thirteen of Advent

Scripture

“For at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light (for the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and true), and try to discern 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 speak of the things that they do in secret. But when anything is exposed by the light, it becomes visible, for anything that becomes visible is light. Therefore it says, ‘Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.’”

— Ephesians 5:8-14

Devotional

As Christians, we are “light in the Lord.” Jesus said in the Sermon on the Mount, “You are the light of the world” (Matthew 5:14a). The more luminous our integrity—our goodness, righteousness, and truth—the brighter the light. How can we shine more brightly?

A man returning from a journey brought his wife a matchbox that would glow in the dark. After giving it to her, she turned out the light, but the matchbox could not be seen. Both thought they had been cheated. Then the wife noticed some French words on the box and asked a friend to translate them. The inscription said: “If you want me to shine in the night, keep me in the light.”

We need to spend time alone with Jesus—the Light—in prayer, exposing our lives like photographic plates to His presence so that His image, His character, is burnt into ours. If we do this, we will spiritually be like Moses when he descended Sinai after being alone with God—his face shone with the light of God. We need to open our Bibles and allow God’s truth to illumine our eager faces with goodness and righteousness and truth.

If you want to shine in the night, keep in the light of Christ.

Prayer

Lord Jesus, more than anything in all the world we want You to see the fulfillment of Your work in us and in all creation, for Your glory. So we join in calling out, “Come, Lord Jesus.” Amen.