A LESSON FROM CHANGING A LIGHT BULB

Why is it that it takes some of us (i.e. myself) so long to change a light bulb that needs replacing? Now, I’m not talking about fixtures that only have one bulb … I usually get on those right away. What I’m talking about are fixtures that have two or more bulbs, like in the bedrooms of the parsonage and in my study at church. Sure, it seems a little darker, but there’s still enough light that it doesn’t seem urgent … and so it can be weeks or months before the bulbs get changed. Maybe I’m alone in this, but I doubt it. But, when those bulbs finally get changed, the difference is huge … the room seems so much brighter.

Sadly, devotions—spending regular time in God’s Word—can become like that. Sometimes life gets busy and your time reading God’s Word declines or gets eliminated for a while. It’s not that you’re walking away from God, but, before you know it, things seem a little dimmer. Perhaps you didn’t even realize it, but you were stumbling along. It may even take a while to realize what’s missing. Then, something happens, and you remember the words of Psalm 119:105, “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.” (ESV) As the Spirit prompts, you make the time and get back into God’s Word, and suddenly, you realize, life is so much brighter (just like when that light bulb is finally replaced).

So, today, I ask you, how’s your lighting situation ...and I’m not just referring to light bulbs. Are you spending regular time with God in His Word, or are you missing out on the light that He provides? I hope the following passages shed a little light on your path!

Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path. (Psalm 119:105 ESV)
For it is you who light my lamp; the LORD my God lightens my darkness. (Psalm 18:28 ESV)
Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life." (John 8:12 ESV)
So Jesus said to them, "The light is among you for a little while longer. Walk while you have the light, lest darkness overtake you. The one who walks in the darkness does not know where he is going. (John 12:35 ESV)

Walk in the light, my friends!

In His grip,
Pastor Decker