April 29, 2022

For if I preach the gospel, I have nothing to boast of, for necessity is laid upon me; yes, woe is me if I do not preach the gospel! 1 Corinthians 9:16

The message of salvation in Jesus is as aggressive as flipping a light switch on in a previously dark room. It instantly overpowers the darkness. The ‘aggressiveness’ of the light, if readily accepted by a person, takes on the quality of diffusiveness into nearby “dark rooms” whether they be in his own “house” or that of those people within his sphere of influence. This is the nature of the Good News: like an invisible cloud of floral aromas riding a gentle breeze, it possesses a power that is meant to disburse in every direction, permeating the most impossible-to-reach places.

Paul’s love for the Savior drove him to share the gospel to everyone willing to hear. Admittedly, the message is a confrontational one. But it is only in being confronted by the unshakable and pure love in God’s salvation message that my sinful human nature will be instructed. Will I close the doors on certain “rooms” or will I crack the tightly shut ones with a crowbar to let in just a wee bit of light? A true disciple’s growing trust in Christ will, in equal proportion, mean a growing distrust of his own supposed strengths of character. Instead of waiting in anticipation of the next “confrontation,” he will plead with the Lord to come in and to search every room.

Search me, O God, and know my heart; Try me, and know my anxieties. Psalm 139:23

Such a one is throwing all the doors of his own house open in reckless abandon. What a joy—and a relief!—to be transparent with the Lord. Of course, He already sees through each one of us—but oh, how it pleases Him, in the course of the trusting love relationship, to be invited in to drive out anything that should not be there.

In the end, there will not be excuses allowed for choosing to be closed up in selfish interests. The economy of God’s kingdom has fitting assignments for every type of mind and hand, the work being adapted to all the different capabilities. Every individual who is connected to God will naturally diffuse light to others. The opposite is true as well: no light to share means no connection with the Source of light.

This applies to individuals and to the church as a whole. The bride must choose to wear the beautiful garments of the righteousness of Christ in order to accurately reflect His mission of love and mercy. The permeating effect of welcoming the light into every “nook and cranny” will bring to a sudden halt to the indulgence of any sort of strife and fault-finding. Genuine concern for the salvation of precious souls all around us would swallow up evils: devices that our enemy continually seeks to plant within the church.

…that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word, that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish. Ephesians 5:26-27