Lights Out

Proverbs 13:9 The light of the righteous shines brightly, but the lamp of the wicked is snuffed out.

The world changed when electricity became a thing everyone had, or at least here in the West. Some parts of the world still don’t have universal access to electricity, often due to the low density living situations. But add electricity to the mix and populations and innovation increased dramatically.

The growth preceded universal access to electricity, but the electrification of the vast majority of the population drove western economies for decades. If we took electricity away today, the economy and society would collapse rapidly. No food storage or packaging, only hand harvesting and local delivery.

With electricity the Gospel has been able to spread in unprecedented ways. But so has pornography and a host of other evils. As I sit and eat my microwaved Muesli breakfast and drink my Kurig brewed coffee in my climate controlled house under LED lights, I can easily see how life would be different without electricity.

But I see another darkness that isn’t driven by the lack of electricity. It is a spiritual darkness that is holding humanity captive. It marshals all its forces in attempts to stifle the light. It opposes light in all its manifestations.

The violent anarchy that overtook cities and now retail spaces, the legalization of drug use and the carnage inflicted on innocent lives, the takeover of the education system with emphasis on fewer and fewer core skills are all symptoms of the attempt to turn off the light of the Gospel.

Everywhere the Gospel has gone around the world education has increased, healthcare and the welfare of the poorest members of society has improved, women have been raised in status, children have been valued, and hope has been received. We can’t have that happening, can we! We weren’t in control of that, and it happened apart from our ideology, so it must be quashed. (Or at least that is what those who oppose the Gospel operationalize.)

One thing that the opponents of the Gospel have forgotten, or chosen to ignore, is that Light eliminates darkness. Enter a completely dark cave and turn off the artificial lights. And guess what, it is dark! But even the luminescent numbers on an old analog watch will provide enough light to guide you safely along a path.

It only takes a little light to change an environment. And we have the Light of the universe shining in us. Don’t try to hide it under a bushel basket (or in our case an Amazon delivery box)! Let it shine!