Light Dispels Darkness

The Word gave life to everything that was created, and his life brought light to everyone. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness can never extinguish it. (John 1:4-5)

This is the message we heard from Jesus and now declare to you: God is light, and there is no darkness in him at all. So we are lying if we say we have fellowship with God but go on living in spiritual darkness; we are not practicing the truth. But if we are living in the light, as God is in the light, then we have fellowship with each other, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, cleanses us from all sin. (1 John 1:5-7)

I’m usually the last one to go to bed at night.  My husband gets up very early every morning and awakens easily.  So, when I go upstairs, I don’t turn on any lights, and I try to be as quiet as possible.  The last few nights, however, I have walked into a storage box near the base of the stairs.  I know that it’s there,  but with the lights out, I can’t see a thing.  Walking up the stairs in the dark is also tricky.  I’m never quite sure when I’ve reached the top, and I’ve often tripped on the final step when I thought I had reached the landing.  There is a simple solution. Turn–on–the light.

Light removes darkness.  Even a small candle brightens its immediate vicinity.  When light is present, darkness is gone. When the darkness is gone, we can see clearly.

In Scripture, the words light and darkness often refer to purity and sin.  That is the case in these verses.  When we “walk in the light,” we are walking in obedience to the Lord.  Sometimes He shines His light on our sin. The good news is:

[When] we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness. 1 John 1:9

We walk in the light once again, avoiding the things that trip us up.

The original Pensacola Light house was built near current day Navy Lodge, and put in to service in 1824.  In 1859, construction began on a new lighthouse.  The current Pensacola Lighthouse is located on the Naval Air Station Pensacola, home to the Blue Angels.