NO EXCUSES!!! Eph. 5:8-10

"For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth) and find out what pleases the Lord."
Eph. 5:8-10

Taking responsibility for our condition is a very difficult thing to do. I love how Paul states our condition in these verses and our responsibility. He doesn't tell us that we were in darkness, but rather we were darkness. It wasn't that we were in a place of darkness, but rather we made the place dark. We were the source of darkness because of our sinful condition. So often I think we try to soften the reality of our depravity, when the truth is... we were the source of darkness. We were utterly the opposite of goodness, righteousness, and truth when we compare ourselves with God's idea of those things. We often look around and see good people and so this statement rubs us the wrong way. Certainly Ghandi was a good guy when you compare him to others in the world, as well as Mother Teresa, and Billy Graham, but goodness is not defined by normal human behavior, but by the holiness of God. He is good, He is righteous, and He is truthful... and we are a far cry from that!

Understanding what we were is huge when we discover that our new identity is its opposite. We are LIGHT in the Lord! Again, that is our condition! We are seen as the opposite of darkness! We are seen by God as good and righteous!!! Not because of what we have done, but because of what Christ has done!

That being said, we are to live like our new identity! We are to live as children of light! We are to model goodness, righteousness, and truth! These are the fruits of LIGHT! The inward change brings about outward fruit!

This is a process! Notice how Paul says... "find out what pleases the Lord." I love that statement because it infers a few things. One is that we haven't arrived yet! We don't live as LIGHT all the time and there is certainly room to grow. Secondly, we have a responsibility to seek out what is good, what is righteous, and what is true! God doesn't just hand us these things in a basket, rather He handed us those things in a book... His revelation of Himself (The Bible)! Now we have a responsibility to seek out what is pleasing to God.

So if you are a child of light because of the work of Jesus, then live like it! Remember it's a process and take responsibility for that process! We have no excuses!!!

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