Carina Francke

“…and find out what pleases the Lord." (NIV)

In literature, arts, everyday life and even nature, light and darkness are usually depicted as opposites. Can you imagine being locked away in an underground dungeon your whole life and never seeing light? Awful! Depressing! A life-long death sentence in darkness without parole. Not God’s will for any person! He wants the dungeon opened so that light can flood in and shatter the darkness.

It is no wonder that throughout the Bible we learn about the impact that the light – Jesus Christ – should have on our lives. As a believer in Christ, you are a child of the light and that demands that your lifestyle must confirm your professed faith. It must be new, different, without trace of the darkness in which you once lived. That is the will of God for every believer’s life.

To recognise what in our lives must be shattered by light, we must: “… find out what pleases the Lord." (Ephesians 5:10). To discover that, we need to examine ourselves, letting the truth shine in our hearts and reveal the darkness. Then we have to be willing, no matter how uncomfortable it is for us, to allow the light to dispel the darkness, for God’s wish for you and for me, is that we live in the light.

Paul helps us in Romans 12:1-2 to discover what God’s will is when Paul urges us to: Give yourself to God. Offer your body to him. What is actually meant here is that you, your very own ego, must die. It is a difficult death, but not a hopeless one, because in God’s hands, you become alive, holy and acceptable to him, and also at the same time of service to others.

Do not think and live like the world, nor conform to their standards in your mind.

Think new, different, and outside the box. For this, you need help – let the Word gain a foothold in your heart and renew your mind. (James 1:21)

And the result? Light that helps you to distinguish the will of God – those things that are good, acceptable and perfect.

Prayer: My Father, in a dark, crowded world, I regularly examine myself and ask what is acceptable in my lifestyle to you, but I really struggle to know for sure. My plea, Father is that when I read your word, you will plant it in my heart and bring it to life.  Amen.