There is a time, we know not when, a
point we know not where, that marks the destiny of men to glory or despair.
There is a line by us unseen, that crosses every path; the hidden boundary
between God’s patience and His wrath. To pass that limit is to die, to die as
if by stealth; it does not quench the beaming eye, or pale the glow of health.
The conscience may be still at ease, the spirit light and gay; that which is
pleasing still may please and care be thrust away. But on that forehead God has
set indelibly a mark, unseen by man, for man as yet is blind and in the dark.
And yet the doomed man’s path below may bloom as Eden bloomed; he did not, does
not, will not know, or feel that he is doomed. He knows, he feels that all is
well, and every fear is calmed; he lives, he dies, he walks in hell, not only
doomed but damned. Oh! Where is that mysterious bourne by which our path has
crossed; beyond which God himself has sworn, that he who goes is lost. How far may
we go on in sin? How long will God forbear? Where does hope end, and where
begins the confines of despair? The answer from the skies is sent: “Today, if
you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts…” (Hebrews 3:7-19).
[1 John 1:5-10] There are myriad examples
of darkness and light in the Bible. Satan, evil, sin, ignorance, and apathy are
all correctly depicted as darkness. God, Jesus, power, truth, and righteousness
are depicted as light. “…God is light; in him there is no darkness at all” (1 John
1: 5). Where does power lie in both light and darkness? There are many sources
of light. The sun, a lightbulb, a candle, the stars, lightning, and all have
some source of power. Darkness, on the other hand, just has one source, and it
is not even of itself. The only way to attain it is to subtract or remove
light. Thus, no one can go out and purchase a darkness machine; neither can one
turn up the darkness to an intensity as to quench the light. Therefore, light
has power and darkness does not. The only power darkness can ever hope to
attain is that given to it by one who desires it; “…men loved darkness instead
of light because their deeds were evil” (John 3:16-21). All shades of man’s
character conform and comply proportionately with the degree in which they love
light or darkness. An acceptance of Jesus the Christ as God’s own son, and
follower of his doctrine, inherently creates a light in one’s self, “For you
were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of
light…” (Ephesians 5:8). Now the evil one wants to quench that light in you and
he is very good at what he does. We know the evil one cannot overcome the light
of God any more than a dark room can overcome a flashlight or the night can
overcome the day. We must let the sun go down or the batteries to weaken. And
it usually doesn’t happen suddenly. Satan has been meddling in God’s
relationship with man since the time of Job and is enjoying this pandemic immensely.
Go to church – but not all the time. Give – But not too much. Do – But just a
little. Now you’re not as bright as you once were. Your vision is impaired.
Thing’s aren’t as clear; but your eyes adjust. You can still get by. You go to
church, but only when you haven’t been for a while. You still give and do
things, but only when you go to church. The light within you dims more. You can
still see for your eyes have adjusted again, but now you can no longer tolerate
bright light. The purity of God’s light and of his glory that once drew you
toward Him now causes you to turn away. Darkness is the natural occurrence when
light is not present. “What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, yet
lose or forfeit his very self?” (Luke 9:25). Man’s self-centered “rights” are
powered by his own dark depraved mind and not of the love and the light of God.
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