EVENINGS

When the Lord God returns to live in the earth, the Scriptures state that he will be the light of the world. We no longer will be living in darkness, as we currently are. I always had assumed that the transformation of our world would be automatic, and that sinfulness would abruptly end when the Lord returns. I now know that this is wishful thinking, and that even after the Lord returns, men and women will continue in their depravity and rebellion. Only gradually will the transformation take place. The Lord will return at midnight, at the height of the rebellion, and the day will gradually dawn as the sun rises.

The day will dawn only as we commit to living in conformity with universal spiritual principles, and only as we long for the light of day. If we are content to live in darkness, the day will never arrive, and the darkness will continue for all one thousand years of Jesus' millennial reign. Mornings naturally and effortlessly follow evenings in each day's cycle, but in the realm of spiritual law, we must desire the morning in order for it to arrive. Not only must we desire it, we also must actively embrace it. Every new flicker of light must be coached into becoming a flame. And every flame must become a consuming fire, intent on devouring every deed of darkness.

When the fire of the Holy Spirit begins to consume every deed of darkness, only then will we be able to say that the Lord God Almighty has become the light of the world. For now, we each can decide the extent to which we will allow the Holy Spirit to light our path. We can choose to have him consume the darkness that exists in every corner of our being, or we can confine him to a tiny room in a far corner. A glance at our ethereal body will reveal the truth about our commitment to light, or lack thereof.

In the context of our relationship with God, the Scriptures state that we know that we have come to love him if we obey his commands. His commands reveal the path to light. They tell us what causes darkness to reign, and what turns on the light in our hearts. They also tell us what brings joy to our world. Finally, they tell us what will break Satan's hold on our world. They are like the yellow brick road that leads to eternity. Follow the yellow brick road, being certain to take every turn it reveals, and by God's will, with much prayer, we will see you in eternity. In Jesus' name, Amen.