"Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the LORD shines over you. For look, darkness covers the earth, and total darkness the peoples; but the LORD will shine over you, and His glory will appear over you" (Isaiah 60:1-2, HCSB).
"'This, then, is the judgment: The light has come into the world, and people loved darkness rather than the light because their deeds were evil" (John 3:19, HCSB).
"In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven" (Matt. 5:16, NIV).
"If we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin" (1 John 1:6-7).
Once you've seen the light, your life is transformed not just reformed. Darkness is expelled by the presence of light, which is its enemy. They cannot dwell together in the same space. God is light and in Him is no darkness! He created light and separated it from the darkness. No one has an excuse: God gives light to all, for in Jesus we all can see the light if we look for it; however, He gives us only enough to see where we are to go. There is enough to see for the willing and enough darkness for the unwilling to reject the light. We must be willing to come to the light and hate the darkness! In God's economy, known as the divine order of reality, enlightenment comes from Light!
If we are to become enlightened by the Word, we ought to seek the Source, the Holy Spirit, who illuminates the eyes of our hearts. We are to be lights in a dark-infested world that is Satan's domain and turf. We are to let our light shine in the darkness and influence it for the good. The M.O. of finding the light and being enlightened is via the Bible and preaching of it; the day will dawn and the morning star will shine in our hearts (cf. 2 Pet. 1:19).
The problem with evil men is that they love darkness rather than light and will not come to it lest their evil deeds become exposed (cf. John 3:19)! Only those who see the light can pass it on to others and show them the Way. The Bible shows us the real self, for what we are in reality, not painting a pretty picture but being blunt about the portrayal. For Proverbs 20:27 "The spirit of man is the lamp of the LORD, searching all his innermost thoughts." God made our hearts and knows the diagnosis as well as the cure and prognosis!
There is just enough light for anyone to see if they are willing and the Bible equates Truth with light, for Augustine said that all truth is God's truth (cf. 1 John 1:6)! It is a sign of evil when men walk in darkness and this type of metaphoric language should hit home for us all, for we can all identify a time in our life without direction and guidance from the Divinity. This is in contradistinction to Satan, the prince of darkness. The fulfillment of our faith is to see Jesus: "Open our eyes, Lord, we want to see Jesus." "But we do see Jesus" as the ultimate "Beatific Vision" completed in glory (cf. Heb. 2:9, NIV) for He is the very personification and manifestation of the Light.
CAVEAT: THE GOAL OF OUR LIFE IS NOT "ENLIGHTENMENT" AS IS SOUGHT IN BUDDHISM BUDDHA MEANS "ENLIGHTENED ONE"), BUT SALVATION OF THE SOUL AND RESTORATION OF OUR RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD. CHRISTIANITY IS A RELIGION OF SALVATION! NB: BUDDHA, SIDDHARTHA GAUTAMA, DIDN'T BELIEVE IN GOD AND SAID THAT IF HE DID EXIST, HE COULDN'T HELP YOU FIND ENLIGHTENMENT, YOU MUST FIND IT ON YOUR OWN! Soli Deo Gloria!
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