Advent December 8th
The themes in today’s devotionals are the sorrow of unused gifts and the hopelessness of life without God. The older I get the more some things seem blindingly obvious. For example, pride blazes a clear path to hell. The darkness of this world can so often be traced to pride.
In Making Room I wrote about how pride — an “I got this” attitude — can keep us from seeking the gift of guidance from the Holy Spirit. Our default is to face life on our own, and the only cure seems to be a daily (at least) intention to resubmit our lives to God. D.L. Moody quipped that “The problem with a living sacrifice is that it keeps crawling off the altar.” I never regret admitting that I need God’s indwelling to navigate life. I always regret decisions that I make when I am subconsciously or sadly sometimes even consciously snubbing His guidance. Pride is an ever-present stumbling block in the life of the believer. It is like a persistent, rapidly growing weed that this side of heaven we will never fully and permanently eradicate.
The CSLI devotional talked about how the brother of the man who chose the Scripture for Messiah committed suicide. He had started hanging with someone who scoffed at the Christian faith and eventually became deeply discouraged. The Bible warns us in various ways that “Bad company corrupts good character.” We need to seek godly friends and community. We need to be invested in a church family. We need to have the humility to admit that we don’t have all the answers but that God does. Pride in unbelief opens wide the door to darkness — certainly the 21st Century is ample proof.
The incredible news is that it is into this “gross darkness” that the Light of Christ appears. “But the LORD shall arise upon thee, and his glory shall be seen upon thee. And the Gentiles shall come to thy light, and kings to the brightness of thy rising.” Isaiah 60:2b-3 (KJV).
Digging Deeper:
What in your life needs a “But God” healing?
Where does the darkness of this world feel particularly oppressive? How can you “come to thy light”?