And God made the two great lights, the greater light to rule the day and the lesser light to rule the night, and the stars. … And God saw that it was good.

~Genesis 1:16-18 ESV

One of my fondest memories while living at Bangor, Maine, was the night sky. I can still vividly recall the thousands of stars twinkling in the darkness and in contrast, the brightness of the moon.

I grew up in Northern Virginia, and the city lights dimmed the brightness of God’s magnificent creation. I never saw the true beauty of the night sky until I got away from those artificial lights.

Let’s define “artificial.” It references something made or produced by human beings rather than something that occurs naturally. In essence, it is a copy of something that is real.

God, our Creator, has already fashioned everything we need to sustain life on earth. And yet we continue to produce artificial things in an attempt to make our lives better, like city lights. The problem with this is that it can blind us to the beauty of God’s creation and also keep us from seeing the promises of His Word as what sustains us. He is the light within our souls; without Him, we are lost.

In the Word of God, light plays a vital role, being used as a symbol of holiness, while darkness is often associated with evil, sin, or despair. The devil presents himself as an angel of light to deceive and devour the very soul of humanity, but he is artificial. God is the True Light. We need only to look to Him in order to thrive. 2 Corinthians 11:14-15 reads, “And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. So it is no surprise if his servants, also, disguise themselves as servants of righteousness. Their end will correspond to their deeds.”

As followers of Christ, we need to stay sober and alert for our enemy is prowling around seeking whom he may devour. 1 John 4:1-2 tells us, “Beloved, do not believe every spirit but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world. By this, you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you heard was coming and now is in the world already.”

Let’s protect ourselves from artificial belief systems and errors, by immersing ourselves in the light of God’s Word. The best way to do this is to spend time in His Holy Word daily. Psalms 1:1-3 says “Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers, but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law, he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by seams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers.” God, the True Light, is our sustenance. He is holy, and He is for us. Permit Him to fill you with His presence today.

Share a scripture that is like a light in the darkness to you.

Heavenly Father, thank You for Your Son, Jesus Christ, who is the Light of the world. I ask You to help me to remain devoted to You and to effectively share my faith with others.

In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Genre: Non-fiction

Copyright 2021: God’s Light: Ed Chappelle: All Rights Reserved