I have a colorful bruise along the side of my knee. Very early the other morning, while it was still dark, I was making my way through the living room without turning on any lights. Suddenly I tripped over the edge of our area rug and rammed smack into the coffee table. It would have been much wiser to turn on a lamp.
Banging my knee while traipsing through the house in the
dark turned out to be painful physically, but many of us are traversing a much
more dangerous path with far greater disastrous consequences—walking around in
the dark spiritually when we don’t have to be!
Psalm 119:105 says God’s Word is a lamp to guide us and a
light for our path. God has given us a spiritual nightlight, yet, even those of
us who are Christians continue to try to navigate life in the dark! We strain
our eyes to see where we should be going, what we should be saying, how we
should be acting, when God has handed us His flashlight! We just need to turn
it on!
The Bible is full of insights, wisdom, warning signals, and
directional arrows for right living. (2 Timothy 3:16) No, we may not find “Buy
that new, red Jeep Cherokee” spelled out, but we will find wisdom to help us
make good, thought-out decisions. Although there is no verse that says, “Take
your curmudgeon neighbor a pumpkin pie next week,” the Bible is full of
guidelines for right behavior.
As we read God’s Word, His Holy Spirit will highlight
passages, shine a spotlight on certain verses, and give us those “lightbulb”
moments of understanding and application that we need. (john 14:26) But it
won’t happen unless we “hit the switch” by opening the book and reading the
words.
Believe me, my bruised knee has taught me to turn on a light
or plug in a nightlight before wandering through the house at night. Likewise,
let us open God’s Word and let His light guide and direct us each and every
day, rather than stumbling through life tripping over our own limited
understanding and stumbling up against the consequences of unwise decisions.
Be encouraged!
Pam©2018 Pamela D. Williams
