Go Home In the Light

“Therefore do not become partners with them; for at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light (for the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and true), and try to discern what is pleasing to the Lord.” Ephesians 5:7-10 (ESV)

It was the third year in a row that I was privileged to watch the summer conference season come to its end at America’s Keswick. Sitting at the campground picnic tables, enjoying Keswick bbq and dialoguing with the various folks who come and go during the season is the best way to bring it to its close. This year fellow Colony grad and a recently married Dave Maxwell with his bride, Pat, along with my wife and myself got to share our moments spent in Bar Harbor, Maine. We vacationed there at the same time but never bumped into each other. (Guess God planned it that way.)

Anyway…the real intention of being there this year was to pick up my teenagers after their summer staff tour of duty came to its end. And while my wife and I waited for that to happen we decided to take in some of what Dr. Richard Farmer had to say since he was the speaker for the event. One passage of Scripture that he dug into was the passage I am using today from Ephesians. I like what he said about verse 8 because he really laid it down. It got me thinking if that comma in between what is said about darkness and what is said about the light of the Lord is the transforming element in this passage of Scripture.

Then we are blessed to walk as children of light but take a look at what is in the parenthesis in the King Jimmie version, “For the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth.” John Gill thought maybe this is the example of the renewed spirit of man but really felt this is the Spirit of God. The believer is a tree of righteousness with Jesus Christ as their root system. The Spirit is the sap which supports, nourishes and under the influence of His grace, good works are the fruit. Hmm…then for some reason I thought about my kids. I wondered if they could discern what is pleasing to the Lord.

As the rest of the weekend came about my wife and I heard wonderful things about our two teenagers. Now their dorm partners had their stories (apparently they’re nuts and when asked if there were any more of them they replied “Yes, our dad”) but what we heard from Keswick staff and Keswick guests really made us take notice on how they have chosen to walk. We didn’t hear a complaint from anyone, not even our own teenagers. There was much talk about their servant’s heart. Both Kevin and Karen chose to walk uprightly and shared the fruit with all they were around.

Brings a tear to my eye when I think about how I was darkness at one time and because of the comma my children get to walk in the light. It was even more the blessing to hear that my son read through the book of Ephesians during his time as a summer staffer. I will be explaining to him the first half of this wonderful book concerning doctrine and do my part in showing him the duty that is in the last half of this book written to the Ephesians. And the daughter will get the same treatment after all they made it quite clear to me over this past Labor Day weekend that I am one of them. Nuts…but walking like children of light!! – Chris Hughes blogs regularly on our Freedom Fighter blog and is a graduate of the Colony of Mercy

Team YOU: Eccl. 1-2; Proverbs 7; 1 Corinthians 16

Motivations: “We must look upon the Word of God both as a light and as a law. It is a light that our understandings must subscribe to; it is a lamp to our eyes for discovery and so to our feet for direction. The Word of God reveals to us truths of eternal certainty. Scripture light is the sure light. It is a law that our wills must submit to.”—Matthew Henry

Practice to Remember: Level 1:Philippians 4:4-5; Level 2: Philippians 4:1-7

Powered Up:  Prayer is God’s ordained way, the insignificant way of prayer. Oswald Chambers