This Little Light of Mine… Showtime!
Luke 8:16 “Now no one after lighting a lamp covers it over with a container, or puts it under a bed; but he puts it on a lampstand, so that those who come in may see the light.
Well, some of us do try to “hide” our light – or at least change the bulb to a lower wattage. We’re like the kids who turn on the flashlight UNDER the covers so Mom and Dad don’t discover us disobeying their wishes.
And then there are those who covet ALL the light. They believe they ARE the light even as the light is distorting them into strange looking aliens. They hold their spotlights right up next to their faces, never realizing we can no longer see the REAL THEM. Maybe that is the agenda, they would rather be anyone or anything other than who they are.
Jesus did say, “For nothing is hidden that will not become evident, nor anything secret that will not be known and come to light.” (Luke 8:17)
NOTHING HIDDEN… will not become evident! NO SECRET… will not be known! All will come to the light!
It is in our nature to put on a show. We love the DRAMA!
ACT I… Let the show begin!
We ate the fruit of knowing good and evil and found out that WE are capable of loosing everything we have grown to love. Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew they were naked (without covering) (Genesis 3:7) “Fake it till you make it” (an English aphorism which suggests that by imitating whatever, a person can realize “it” in their real life – Wikipedia summarized) becomes our PLAN… they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loin coverings… yep, we can FIX THIS!
Ah, but we still KNOW we’re naked on the inside…
They heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day (no surprise here – any other time they would have been right there with Him).
Oops, the God who made us, will not be fooled. He will KNOW!
So… if we can’t fix it… if we can’t fake it… let’s hide it (it is our real self – the one we know even when we don’t know).
ACT II… Hide and Seek! And the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden (fig leaves must have been the “camouflage” of the day).
Not a GAME!
Then the Lord God called to the man, and said to him, “Where are you?”
Adam, the first actor on the great stage of life, before the audience of One, begins the script we all – every human since him – memorizes and repeats at every showing of our life…
I HEARD the sound of You in the garden, and I was AFRAID because I was naked; so I HID myself.
Notice, no where in Adam’s discourse is the “truth” that Adam/Eve DISOBEYED THE ONE COMMAND they were given. Nor did he willingly stand before God with the innocence or confidence he always had before. Mmmmm… No, “Here I am! I’ve been waiting to walk and talk with You!
Interestingly, God didn’t react with immediate condemnation nor did He allow Adam to escape from confession. God KNEW what Adam/Eve had done the moment they did it. Scripture doesn’t say but I imagine all of heaven and earth felt the effects of the sin that set all of creation GROANING and SUFFERING (Romans 8:22). The sin that replaced God’s provision with our desire for Satan’s temptation. The sin that established an illegitimate government, provoking a lifetime battle between good and evil for power and authority. A battle that mere humans, who are only flesh and blood in this, unequipped and without weapons to fight for the eternal lives that God’s breath blew into us.
ACT III… The Cost!
The sin we giggle at, “Adam/Eve ate AN APPLE?!”, ushered in a struggle that ONLY God will win (For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places – Ephesians 6:12) A struggle that will not end until God is satisfied that ALL He calls will come to Him and His Kingdom, and that NONE shall perish (spend eternity in complete darkness – without any good – only evil) if God is allowed His desire. – 2 Peter 3:9
No, Adam/Eve didn’t JUST eat a piece of fruit. They made their “confession” of faith by tasting & swallowing & sharing the provision they considered worthy of THEIR decision to pursue. I don’t think they were intentionally choosing Satan over God, they were choosing THEMSELVES over His command. They just didn’t realize the consequences… naked… stripped of innocence. They were focused on the “positive” results of their choice, they “saw” that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that it was desirable to make one wise (Genesis 3:4). Knowledge of good and evil? HA! We know EVERYTHING! Everything being what will make ME happy – healthy – wise.
Yet when it was Showtime, Adam didn’t jump up in excitement and tell God how wonderful it was to be informed. He did express the truth of what his sin caused inside… naked & afraid… but he wasn’t yet ready to OWN IT.
Who told you, you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?
Adam’s script… The woman whom YOU gave to be with me, SHE gave me from the tree, (mumble, mumble and I might have had one bite)
Woman, what is this you have done?
Eve’s script… The serpent deceived me, (mumble, mumble and I SAW things and I might have had one bite, but I GAVE it to Adam right after)
Consequences! JUST an apple! NOT MY FAULT! What’s the harm?
Yes, what’s the harm in a little theatrics?
Well… ahem… it’s not all about me/you/us!
It’s all about the audience. The audience that isn’t visible to our human eyes. The rulers, the powers, the world forces of this darkness, the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. All competing for the throne. Good and Evil. All pursuing the capture and annihilation of the other.
Evil believing that the “death” of God’s creation will mean the DEATH of GOD and God KNOWING evil’s head was CRUSHED BY JESUS at the cross and its complete demise, with all of its body of demons and the demon possessed, will be FOREVER THROWN IN THE PIT at the final curtain. (Notice Satan is never given the opportunity by God to “explain” or offer excuse. His end is guaranteed – there will be no “salvation” for enemy of God!)
It’s Showtime!
Step into the spotlight and tell us your story. Just be you… we will see the rest. Matthew 7:16 You will know them by their fruits. Grapes are not gathered from thorn bushes nor figs from thistles, are they? What’s your fruit of choice? Fruit from God’s abundant provision? Or fruit from the poisoned (intimate knowledge of good and EVIL) tree? Matthew 12:33 “Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or make the tree bad and its fruit bad; for the tree is known by its fruit.
Who’s the Director of our show? Who’s the Producer?
Matthew 7:17-18 So every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot produce bad fruit, nor can a bad tree produce good fruit.
Who’s the one you will perform for?
It’s Showtime!
Just know that God is always in the audience. And He is ALWAYS watching to see your light shine!
If He sees His Son in you… you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; (1 Peter 2:9)
Light up your stage with the spotlight of your “knowledge of GOOD”…
Confess your citizenship and faithfulness to The God above all gods…
Proudly display your banner of salvation – Jesus, King of the world (and me) whom He came to save…
You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill – let your light shine before men in such a way that they see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven. (Matthew 5;14,16)
Strive to be the actor that shines his/her light on The One True Star of every show!
I guarantee a KNEELING OVATION – at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. (Philippians 2:10-11)
It’s Showtime!
This little light of mine, I’m going to make it shine…
**All Scripture quoted comes from the “Bible Gateway” app and is the NASB version of the Bible unless otherwise noted.