Have you ever noticed that light always trumps darkness? The smallest light eradicates the dark from the blackest room. Darkness never snuffs out the light. In fact, darkness is really just the absence of light. When light shows up – the darkness is gone.
Apollo, the Greco-Roman god of light, saturated the cultural air that apostle Paul pastored in. But Paul did not address this fraud directly. Instead, he modeled the very picture that illuminated the truth. Paul proclaimed the truth that Jesus, not Apollo, was the light of the world. And the truth revealed the fraud. Paul didn't have to dispute Apollo, but rather spent his energy bringing the good news.
We can wave our arms and shovel with our hands – but the darkness remains. Light a match and darkness flees. Sometimes I feel that our attempts to rid the world of evil has the same pathetic results, like tilting at windmills. We hold down a sin and it pops up somewhere else – the darkness sometimes hides the sin – but it is still there. Light, on the other hand, exposes sin – and then evil is seen for what it is.
God calls us to be light. In fact, He calls us children of light. And God admonishes us not to hide it. Bring the light to those dark corners where the kingdom of God yearns to rule. In the presence of the Light, evil will be seen for what it is and the futility of chasing the darkness away will be put to rest.
I have come into the world as light, so that whoever believes in Me may not remain in darkness. John 12:46
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