A Light in the Darkness (Sep. 24)
Read: 2 Peter 1:16-21
The Holy Spirit directed the writing of Scripture and as such, it is a reliable source of truth and light in a dark world.
I want you to set down this devotional, grab a match or a flashlight, go into a dark room or closet (the darker the better), and just sit there for a moment. Once you’ve settled in, turn on your flashlight or light the match. Make a careful mental note of the difference it makes. Before, you could hardly make out any shapes or objects, but now you can clearly see everything around you.
2 Peter 1:19 talks about this a little when it says “And we have the prophetic word more fully confirmed to which you will do well to pay attention to as a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts.” (ESV) God’s Word pierces unwaveringly through the lies, faulty worldviews, and sinful habits of society today like a match in a dark place.
The reason God’s word can do this is found in the next section of 2 Peter 1, verses 20-21: “Knowing this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture comes from someone’s own interpretation. For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.” (ESV) God’s Word can challenge us to see the night and day differences in the culture of the world vs. the culture of Christ because it’s God’s Word. He wrote it! It was not created by fallible man but instead breathed out by the mouth of the creator of the universe. For this reason, it stands above all the so-called “truths” that so many lost souls spend their lives following.
There’s a line in “Truth,” a Christian rap song by Lecrae, that combats the culture that tells us, “Your truth is fine for you, but I want to live out my truth.” It goes like this: “If what’s true for you is true for you, and what’s true for me is true for me, what if my truth says yours is a lie?” If we create our own “truth”, then anyone can say something is true regardless of its actual trueness. Without the solid rock of God’s Word to base truth on, these so-called “truths” that people hold to are nothing more than withering grass or a fading flower; they will soon pass away. But God’s Word has, and will continue to, withstand the test of time because it was made by the creator of time.
So next time you are in a situation where someone presents you with their “truth” and they have nothing to base it on but the darkness of their own heart, let the light of God’s Word shine through you and show them that true truth must be based on something greater than just ourselves: it must be founded upon God’s Word.
Action step: Ask yourself, “What “truths” am I buying into that are not based on God’s Word?” Be willing to change based on the leading of the Holy Spirit through the reading of God’s Word.
Prayer: Lord, you know my heart better than I do. Show me the areas in my life where I think I know what is true, but where I’m really relying on a truth I’ve made up rather than Your truth. Lead me in Your Truth for Your Word is Truth.
Author: Jonathan Krutz