Armor Of Light

Life is short. Make everyday count by clothing yourself with Christ and leaving a legacy of love.

“Ahaziah was twenty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem one year. He too followed the ways of the house of Ahab, for his mother encouraged him to act wickedly. He did evil in the eyes of the LORD, as the house of Ahab had done, for after his father’s death they became his advisers, to his undoing. When Athaliah the mother of Ahaziah saw that her son was dead, she proceeded to destroy the whole royal family of the house of Judah. But Jehosheba, the daughter of King Jehoram, took Joash son of Ahaziah and stole him away from among the royal princes...He remained hidden with them at the temple of God for six years while Athaliah ruled the land.” ‭‭2 Chronicles‬ ‭22‬:‭2‬-12

Have you ever started a new job? Do you remember your first day or that first week where you really had no idea what you were doing? How important were the people around you in helping you learn the right or wrong way to do what needed to be done? Reflect in the influence of the people around you and who you are surrounding yourself with each day. How are the people in your life helping you to be who God made you to be? Ahaziah surrounded himself with people who did evil in the eyes of the Lord and the text says the people around him caused his undoing. Will your friends cause your undoing? Or will they encourage your faith?

Imagine Ahaziah stepping in as king. At the age of the average college grad, he was ascending the throne and wearing a crown. Sounds glamorous right? Who would not want to have that kind of power? It is dangerous to have authority without having intimacy with God. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom and understanding how to do what is right in God's eyes.

The hero of the story was a person without any title or crown. It was Jehosheba. She stepped up, risking her own life, and saved Joash. Her one act of bravery changed future generations. Very little that we do will last beyond our lifetime. Jehosheba did not shrink from her moment to shine. She stepped out by faith and saved the life that she could save. While we might not be living in ancient times, we have the opportunity to save lives. We can help others. Young or old, there are people who need you. They need to know someone cares. They need love. You wonder what was going through Jehosheba's mind when she risked her own life to save someone else's. Her actions say everything about her heart. Let us all embrace our inner Jehosheba today and not miss the moment right before us.

“I will sing of the LORD’s great love forever; with my mouth I will make your faithfulness known through all generations. The heavens praise your wonders, LORD, your faithfulness too, in the assembly of the holy ones. For who in the skies above can compare with the LORD? Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne; love and faithfulness go before you. Blessed are those who have learned to acclaim you, who walk in the light of your presence, LORD. They rejoice in your name all day long; they celebrate your righteousness. For you are their glory and strength, and by your favor you exalt our horn. How long, LORD? Remember how fleeting is my life. For what futility you have created all humanity! Who can live and not see death, or who can escape the power of the grave? ‭‭Psalms‬ ‭89‬:‭1‬-‭52

The psalmist does a beautiful job of contrasting the temporary and the eternal. Our world is full of constant change, but God does not change. The psalmist sang of love that endures forever. He sang of righteousness and justice. He sang of love and faithfulness. In a world of change, God wants us to know that we can find solid ground and stability by learning to walk in the light of His presence.

Jesus said believe in the light while you have the light that you may become children of light. He said in the Sermon on the mount that you are to let your light shine. There is something that we are to learn about the difference between a life that shines for Christ and produces light. The psalmist describes a life that is full of God's presence. Are you full of God's presence or is your life just full? Many people describe their lives as busy, but how many people can say their lives are productive? What does a life that honors God look like?

The psalmist very clearly uses the word learned when He wrote blessed are those who learn to walk in the light. The truth is it may not come naturally. Our natural inclinations gravitate towards selfishness and pursuing the desires of the flesh. Ahaziah did this to his own detriment because He was surrounded by people who cared more about what was happening on earth than the God in Heaven. As followers of Jesus, disciples, ours is a life of unlearning the patterns of the world and learning to walk in the light as He is in the light that we might become the light to a world that is very dark.

“Meaningless! Meaningless!” says the Teacher. “Utterly meaningless! Everything is meaningless.” What do people gain from all their labors at which they toil under the sun? Generations come and generations go, but the earth remains forever. All streams flow into the sea, yet the sea is never full. The eye never has enough of seeing, nor the ear its fill of hearing. What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun. No one remembers the former generations...I have seen all the things that are done under the sun; all of them are meaningless, a chasing after the wind." ‭‭Ecclesiastes‬ ‭1‬:‭2‬-‭418

Is this passage not a little depressing? Is life really meaningless? Is everything meaningless? Do you ever feel that way? Ever feel like you are going through the motions but not making a difference? Do you ever feel like you are running on a hamster wheel but not growing in holiness or in understanding how to find meaning in life? If so, you are not alone. Even the wisest man to ever live struggled with how to live as a child of the light.

Just like the psalmist said, we can learn every day by observing the world around us. The temporary nature of life is not meant to create fear, but produce clarity so we live with greater appreciation not wasting the time that we do have. It is true that generations come and go, but you were born into this generation for a reason. You have the ability to change the world and save lives like Jehosheba. The truth that your life is short should produce a courageous heart because your eternal home is in heaven.

We are all living on borrowed time. We will all be forgotten one day, but that does not mean that there is anything that prevents this from being the generation that sparks a revival around the world by shining the light of Christ. Is it possible that you were born for exactly this moment in history? Is it possible that God can use you to do something extraordinary? The answer is yes. As Paul wrote in Philipians, I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. Your strength and your time is not limited to your own gifts but by what is possible by the Holy Spirit at work within you. Knowing time is short should motivate you to ask why would you not enjoy each day and make every moment count especially since God promises that He is with you every step of the jouney.

“The word of the LORD came to me: “Son of man, how is the wood of a vine different from that of a branch from any of the trees in the forest? Is wood ever taken from it to make anything useful? Do they make pegs from it to hang things on? And after it is thrown on the fire as fuel and the fire burns both ends and chars the middle, is it then useful for anything? If it was not useful for anything when it was whole, how much less can it be made into something useful when the fire has burned it and it is charred?” ‭‭Ezekiel‬ ‭15‬:‭1‬-‭5‬ ‭

This passage in Ezekiel asks a very interesting question. Is your life useful? Are you using your gifts for the kingdom of God? What will happen when you go through the refining fire? Truth tells us that you were made for a purpose and that purpose is to worship God with how you live. You were made to bring God glory. Jesus said let your light shine that your works would bring glory to God.

Ezekiel compares vines and trees. Jesus said He is the vine and we are the branches. In this passage, Ezekiel said both were made to be used for fuel for the fire. Do you ever struggle with that question with what a useful like for God looks like?

Truth tells us that God has a plan for you. That he has known you every day of your life, and that you were made to love. You have strengths and gifts that can be used to advance the kingdom of God.   Will you do so today? Be careful to surround yourself with people who encourage you to be bold and to be faithful like God is faithful.  Who you surround yourself with matters and how you approach life matters. If you treat life as a gift and realize that it’s short, you are more likely to live a life that honors God.  

“Do you want to be free from fear of the one in authority? Then do what is right and you will be commended. Give to everyone what you owe them: If you owe taxes, pay taxes; if revenue, then revenue; if respect, then respect; if honor, then honor. Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for whoever loves others has fulfilled the law. The commandments, “You shall not commit adultery,” “You shall not murder,” “You shall not steal,” “You shall not covet,” and whatever other command there may be, are summed up in this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” Love does no harm to a neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law. The hour has already come for you to wake up from your slumber, because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed. The night is nearly over; the day is almost here. So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light...clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the flesh.” ‭‭Romans‬ ‭13‬:‭3‬, ‭5‬-‭14‬ 

Consider the progression of the passages today and see how Paul brings everything together. What is a useful life? Paul says it is a life of love. Paul says all of the law, which really dictated the patterns of how people lived in ancient times, is summed up by the golden rule. Love your neighbor as yourself. 

Is this your approach?  It is very easy to twist the truth of this call to love by requiring others to love like you. It is easy to get frustrated when others do not love you like you want to be loved. The enemy wants you to take the golden rule and turned it into something that can produce a grudge. Do you ever get frustrated when other people do not lend to helping hand or give generously like you might? Be careful not to impose your own morality on someone else that has not agreed to the same principles of living.  Rather be the light as Jesus is the light.  Put on the armor of light. Clothe with yourself with Christ.  

What does that mean to you? What does it mean to clothe yourself with Christ?   Think about the clothing you wear every day. Ultimately your clothes are what others see. So the question is can other people see Jesus and how you live? Can they feel it and how you treat them? Are you reflecting Christ everywhere you go? 

Maybe that is the simplest way to measure a useful life: when people encounter you, do they encounter Jesus? Will they see His patience when you are in a hurry? Will they see His grace when they are rude to you? Will they see His generosity when they have a need? Will they see how He loves when you have every reason to be upset? Will they see His compassion when they are hurting? Paul does not tell us to just admire Jesus, but to clothe ourselves fully with Christ. Put on all that you know of Jesus and wear Him everywhere you go. You may not be able to change everyone around you, but Jesus can. Let that be your goal today: wherever you go, whoever you meet, give them an opportunity to encounter Jesus through you and remember that this is the day that the Lord has made. Rejoice, be glad, and give God your best.