And this is the judgment, that the light has come into the world, and people loved darkness rather than light because their deeds were evil.” vs. 19
John 3:18-21
We don’t like to talk about judgment, and some have pretty much eliminated the word from their religious vocabulary. They prefer to believe that since God is good and abounding in steadfast love, there’s no room for judgment. That would be news to the gospel writer! From his perspective there was plenty of judgment in the world and it comes because people love darkness rather than light–and we pretty much have to agree. Wherever we look in our world we see large numbers of people turning their backs on goodness in favor of nasty, crude, hurtful, racist, sexist, and just-plain-mean behaviors. And millions, via social media and the internet, are gobbling this garbage up! And it isn’t that we don’t have options! We could, if we chose, embrace the light and spend our lives loving the unlovable and building people up. The light is close–it dwells within each of us. But too many keep it bottled up! Like John says, they love the darkness. It provides a cover for their own contemptible actions. Is there judgment for that kind of behavior? Of course! But it comes not from our good and loving God, but as a consequence of our narrow and vengeful thinking. Thank God for those who have embraced goodness as a way of life! It’s because of the billions of such folks that this world continues to be a joy and a delight to live in.
Thought for the Day: What’s appealing about living in darkness?
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