A delegation of well-meaning patriots tried to impress upon President
Abraham Lincoln the gravity of the American Civil War.*
They implied that his administration was neither as wise nor as
proficient as it ought to be. He listened carefully, and
then responded with a memorable anecdote...
He told them that he once had a
neighbor who found himself in a tight situation. He was traveling
home one DARK and rainy night. There were few bridges in the country
and he came to a stream that he would have to wade across. But
because of the darkness and the rain, he couldn't see well enough
to know just where to cross.
Lightning flashed and he saw his
way for the briefest moment. But the man was perplexed because
there seemed to be more thunder than lightning. He was convinced
that every lightning flash was followed by several loud peals
of thunder. The poor man just stood at the edge of the stream
in his confusion about how to proceed. He finally prayed, "O
Lord, if it's just the same to you, give me more light and less
noise." The delegation clearly got the point that
the president needed more solutions and less complaining - more
LIGHT and less NOISE!
Whether we realize it or not,
YOU and I are also involved in a critical WAR!
It is a war of good vs. evil -AND-
our very SOULS are at stake! Satan, our archenemy, seeks to
blind us -- to keep us in the dark -- "lest the light of
the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should
shine on us" (2 Corinthians 4:4). He tries to distract us
with a lot of "NOISE" - like life's worries,
riches, and pleasures (Luke 8:14) - to keep us from finding the
Light that illuminates the path to the truly ABUNDANT LIFE
NOW (John 10:10) and ETERNAL LIFE TO COME (Mark 10:28-30).
Jesus said, "I AM the light
of the world... He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness,
but have the light of life" (John 8:12). Jesus has revealed
the correct path in life for us to follow. His Word - the
Word of God - "is a LAMP to our feet and a LIGHT
to our path" (Psalm 119:105). Through His Word, we are enlightened to
the fact that God loves each one of us and that He wants us to
follow Him.
The "well-lit path"
is one of: faith (Hebrews 11:6) repentance (2Corinthians 7:9-10)
confession (Romans 10:9-10), and baptism in the name of Christ
for the forgiveness of our sins (Acts 2:38). When we follow this
path, we are brought "out of darkness into His marvelous
light" (1 Peter 2:9). Then, as we CONTINUE to walk in the
light of His Word, the darkness of SIN is CONTINUALLY cleansed
from our lives (1 John 1:7).
Abraham Lincoln was right. What
we need is a lot more LIGHT... and much less NOISE!
God bless you.
David Sargeant
