It typical Jesus fashion, he restates his previous proposition in the negative. He has already established that if you walk in the light you will not stumble. In fact, he emphasizes that if you have the “light of this world” you will never stumble away from the light that envelops you. He makes a salvific statement that rests entirely on the Light of Jesus. Wow!
But the opposite is also true. Light is a choice. You can avoid the light if this is your preference. You can minimize the effects of the light by coverings, shade, or shelter. But the ultimate rejection of light is to only go out when it is dark and to remain sequestered indoors with thick curtains drawn during the daylight hours. This analogy addresses those of us who make the darkness of sin our preference. Sin corrupts and creates chaos in the soul. It is not relegated to the surface once it becomes a choice. It goes deep into the recesses of the mind. Jesus describes this condition when he says, “light is not in him.” (NKJV)
And just as light and life are a choice—my daily choice, and as such it leads me to a life of holiness and purity of body and mind, so the opposite is true. Sin drags me into the morass of despair and dismay. It destroys and degrades until there is nothing left but the bleached bones of a life that was. I have tasted both sides of that equation and have chosen to walk in the light. Every day is a new opportunity to taste and see that the Lord of Light is good beyond measure.
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