LightGrams
March 22, 2018
Volume 22, Number 11
When I arrived home a couple of nights ago I walked into darkness. My wife said the power had gone out only two minutes earlier. The smell of smoke (electrical smoke!) raised all the red flags I possess and I quickly discovered that our main breaker panel was fried. There would be no power in our house until major repairs were made.
Through God’s providence those repairs have been made in an amazingly short time and we’re now back in our house. Aside from the hardships of living without electricity (how did our great-grandparents do it?!), we know matters could have been much, much worse. The scorch marks in our breaker panel affirmed that.
I’m reluctant to speak of our two-day inconvenience when I read about another nor’easter that has smashed into the Northeast. More snow and high winds have knocked out power for thousands – again – and the misery index is high for many of these. Millions around our nation suffered long-term power loss in the aftermath of last year’s hurricanes, tornadoes, and wildfires. Our ordeal has been minor in comparison.
Let’s now consider another kind of power, power that we absolutely must have in order to safely navigate this life. Paul wrote about it in Romans 1:16: “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek.” God’s power to save us – that’s the need of everyone alive today who has reached the age of knowing right from wrong.
Obviously, though, there are millions who are without this power. For some that is because they have never heard the gospel. Jesus commanded His disciples to “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. He who believes and is baptized will be saved …” (Mark 16:15,16). Yet there are many places on earth where the name of Jesus has not been spoken.
Others, however, have been blinded to God’s power to save through His Son. Paul wrote about this tragic situation: “But even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, whose minds the god of this world has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them” (2 Corinthians 4:3,4).
Someone who deliberate disrupts the power that can bring light to millions? We would call such a person a terrorist. And that’s a good description of Satan, that “god of this world” to whom Paul referred. He is aggressive in his efforts to keep you in darkness!
Satan doesn’t have to win: “Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you” (James 4:7). Keep the lights burning in your soul!
Come to the light God offers! Study His word, the Bible. Worship Him in spirit and truth (John 4:24). Get in touch with us if you’d like to discuss these ideas further.
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Copyright, 2018, Timothy D. Hall. All scripture quotations, unless otherwise noted, are from the New King James Version (Copyright, 1990, Thomas Nelson, Inc.).
“LightGrams” is produced by the Central Church of Christ, 2722 Oakland Avenue, Johnson City, Tennessee, 37601, and is written by Tim Hall, minister. It is sent free of charge every Thursday to all who request it. To subscribe or to receive more information, write to “Tim@GraceMine.org” (our E-mail address), to the U.S. mail address above, or call (423) 282-1571.
Permission to reproduce and/or use the messages for noncommercial purposes is freely granted provided the messages are not altered.