“So that you may be blameless and pure, children of God without fault in
a crooked and perverse generation, in which you shine as lights in the world”
(Philippians 2:15).
God calls his people to live “in the midst of a crooked and perverse
generation”. That is not only an appropriate description of our time in history, but
it also suits all of history. Every generation is to some degree or another a
manifestation of the crookedness and the perversity of the human heart. We can
see it in our times very boldly.
The biblical text not only warns but also encourages each of us not to
follow dangerous patterns. The society may live a time of moral, spiritual, and
ethical anarchy, a society without standards. However, the people of God have
no excuse once we have the perfect reference, the perfect model, Jesus Christ.
We’re children of God. And because of that we hear God’s Word, and we follow
His Word, and we obey His Word. We have become children of God by birth, and
we have become children of God by adoption. We’ve got to obey the Father.
There is much to learn by looking back, especially at those times and
places God has recorded for us in His Word in the books of Judges, Kings, and
Chronicles. Some of those lessons bring great encouragement, while others
serve as loud warnings against following dangerous patterns.
We were called to be light. Light cannot be anything other than what it is.
It’s bright; it dispels darkness; it enables people to see what they are doing. God
is light, and since He sent His Holy Spirit to live inside believers, so are we. As
his ambassadors on earth, we shine even when we don’t know it.
Prayer: Heavenly Father, help us shine your light in this dark world. I pray
our family and community can tell what we believe by how we live. I want we
reflect you through our thoughts, feelings, and attitudes. In Jesus’ name, amen.
