S217P5 – A life of light: shielded by the light

Rom. 13:11-14

And do this, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep; for now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed.  The night is far spent, the day is at hand.  Therefore, let us cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light.  Let us walk properly, as in the day, not in revelry and drunkenness, not in lewdness and lust, not in strife and envy.  But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts.

As children and even as adults, we play lots of games that require teams or individuals to search or hunt for one another.  Perhaps the first game like this we all play is hide-and-seek, well before paintball or capture the flag.  This game was fun to play during the day, but it was even more fun at night.  During the day, the light is not on your side.  It makes it more difficult to hide from the “it” who is searching for you.  At night, you have the added protection of darkness and shadow.  You might be able to hide in a place that is rather conspicuous yet still not be found.  For those looking for protection, it just makes sense in the physical world to choose a place that is dark.

This passage tells us to put on the armor of light that is found in Christ.  It might sound strange to us because armor is something that is there to protect, but light is something that is there to expose.  The thing is, the works of darkness do not hide us.  Although sin thrives in the shadows, and it convinces us that we are hidden, we actually are totally exposed in the darkness.  It exposes us to death because it keeps us trapped in sin.  It is the light that saves, and it does so by exposing the sin of the heart.  Then, the armor of light becomes our shield to that very sin.  We are not hidden from temptation, but we are shielded from the inevitable fall.  The armor of light is what we need to be able to fend off temptation and remain walking in the ways of the Lord.

Although we want to be protected from sin, we do not hide from it.  We no longer need to fear its power over us.  We need not tremble when temptation comes our way.  Metal armor covers over the vulnerable spots and makes them invulnerable.  This armor of light does the same thing spiritually.  The vulnerable spots that would have given in to temptation now can be invulnerable.  If we believe the word of God when it tells us that He gives us a way out from under sin every time we are tempted, then we know this is true.  Temptation never need ensnare us if we are cloaked in light.  Father, make us a faithful people who remember the power of your light to keep us from sin and who overcome temptation when it comes.