“They grope in darkness with no light” (Job 12:25). “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. Have
nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose
them” (Ephesians 5:8-11).
Our area, especially Chester County to the east
of us, is a prime area for growing mushrooms. Mushrooms are kind of like honey
in the sense you don’t want to give a lot of thought to how it’s made
(honey) or grown (mushrooms). Several years ago we went to Kennett
Square the “Mushroom Capitol of the World” for their annual “Mushroom
Festival” and had a number of delicacies made with mushrooms including ice cream!
A
mushroom growing operation emits a rather distinctive, quite
unpleasant odor due to the medium they are grown in something you would
probably rather not know.* Although mushrooms are classified as
vegetables, technically they are not plants but part of the kingdom
called fungi, which is something else you probably don’t want to think
about when you are eating them!
Nevertheless,
we both enjoy eating mushrooms
such as mushroom soup, baked on a pizza, cut up into salads, as part of
an omelet, etc. Mushrooms are also nutritionally good having many
necessary vitamins (a 3 ounce portabella cap has more potassium than a
banana).
Several weeks we saw a large truck that was transporting mushrooms for
the To-Jo mushroom company which had an interesting slogan on it, “We
Do Our Best Work In The Dark”. Mushrooms indeed grow in the dark so that’s a fitting statement.
But it can be said not only of mushrooms but of Christians that “We Do Our Best Work In The Dark”. Now to be clear this is not to assert that we are to walk in darkness. As Christians we are called to walk in the light but since we live in this dark world we still do some of our work in the dark.
Some of the most outstanding examples of witness are when Christ followers work in dark places.
We consider those seeking to uphold Biblical moral standards in a dark
world where good is called evil, and evil is called good, those who
take a stand in regard to life in opposition to the powerful abortion
proponents, those who work in rescue missions in “skid row” and in many
other ways. These are dark places that need the light of Jesus Christ.
An ancient word from Job is so pertinent, “They grope in darkness with no light.” This verse deals with leaders. “He
makes the nations great, then destroys them; He enlarges the nations,
then leads them away. He deprives of intelligence the chiefs of the
earth’s people and makes them wander in a pathless waste. They grope in
darkness with no light, and He makes them stagger like a drunken man”
(Job 12:23-25). This is certainly a portion worthy of further consideration and seems so incredibly descriptive of our own age.
The radiant light of God’s Holy Word exposes and dispels darkness. When
God’s servants live as children of light, darkness is dissipated.
All of us, in one way or another, have some darkness around us. By
God’s grace and through His might, as believers we want our light to
shine brightly to expose and then dispel the darkness! We cannot dabble
in darkness and still live in the light. God has not called us to blend
in but rather we are to stand out as those whose lives are filled “with goodness, righteousness and truth“. When we try to blend in we are putting ourselves at danger since one force will eventually overtake the other.
We were once darkness but are now light in the Lord and thus we are to
live as children of light. We must have nothing to do with the
fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them. At this time when
crusaders of darkness are applauded and in some instances upheld as
role models, let us hear the resounding call God has placed upon us to “live as children of light!”
Be encouraged today,
Stephen & Brooksyne Weber
