The night is nearly over; the day is almost here. So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. (Romans 13:12, NIV)
Generally speaking, I welcome the day. Never one to lounge in bed in the morning, I love to get up and move into the activities of the day—though it’s a bit harder right now, when the sun is late to rise. I keep thinking it’s a cloudy morning, but in truth the light just hasn’t come into its fullness.
That’s an intriguing expression and one that fits our present state as believers in Jesus. He is the light and he illumines our hearts, allowing us to see spiritually what is right and wrong within us and around us. But in the broader sense of what he is to bring with his return, we are yet waiting for the Son’s brightest hour.
In writing to the believers in Rome, Paul’s more familiar words in Romans 13 have to do with submitting to governmental authorities. Our instincts buckle at such a directive, but then we come to this: “…for there is no authority except that which God has established” (Romans 13:1). This does not mean that Paul was on board with all the Roman government was doing. For one, he could not abide by emperor worship. For another, the Roman rulers toyed with the people of Paul’s heritage, the Jews, allowing them some cultural freedoms but certainly not offering them the last word. More than all this, the Romans were figures of spiritual darkness, trafficking in violent entertainment and explicit sexual practices. They were those Paul was depicting in verse 13 when he wrote of “orgies and drunkenness, sexual immorality and debauchery, dissension and jealousy.” Such sin was not limited to them, of course, but it was common among them.
What all this means is that while Paul called believers to submit to the governmental authority of all those in such positions, in matters of morality and righteousness these new Christians were to do anything but follow. Rather than engaging in darkness, they were to live in the light.
In our own time, the depictions of darkness are equally apparent—and even when our doors are closed, they enter our homes via television and the Internet. We too, in the midst of all this, are called to live differently. We are to “put on the armor of light” and “clothe [ourselves] with the Lord Jesus Christ” (verse 14).
At Links Players, we are reminded through our personal mission that we are to “Share the Good News of Christ through the great game of golf.” The accompanying passage for this principle is 2 Corinthians 5:20, which commissions us as ambassadors of Jesus. Such ambassadors communicate through both words and actions. Let us be exhorted then to show the light of Christ through the way we live our lives, understanding the present time, waking from our slumber, and joining the arriving day of the Lord by setting aside the deeds of darkness and living a shining life.
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Jeff Hopper
October 21, 2015
Copyright 2015 Links Players International
The Links Daily Devotional appears Monday-Friday at www.linksplayers.com.