Light At The End Of The Tunnel

(Recommend reading 2 Corinthians 4:1-12 – Quoted scripture from NLT)

Why is it difficult for so many people to see the true light of this world?  The answer to that question can be found in 2 Corinthians 4:4 – “Satan, who is the god of this world, has blinded the minds of those who don’t believe.  They are unable to see the glorious light of the Good News.  They don’t understand this message about the glory of Christ, who is the exact likeness of God.”

That “glorious light of the Good News” should be easy for us to see, but Satan gets in the way.  He wants to keep everyone that he can ignorant and blind to the goodness that could, and would, infiltrate our lives if we would only open our hearts and minds to it.  He whispers untruths to us, tickling our ears with what we want to hear.  Those lies keep us from fully knowing and believing the truth and the goodness of God.  

“All unbelief is the belief of a lie.”  (Horatius Bonar)   

“…we all live in a world that the god of this age has thoroughly infiltrated.  We’ve fallen under his spell.  We’ve been blinded.”  (Chris Tiegreen)

God gave us all the ability to make our own decisions without interference from Him.  He did not want a population of puppets that He could manipulate to do His bidding 24/7.  He allows us to live our lives, making our own decisions – good or bad.  That is why we see such a range of good and evil in our world.  Many want to always blame God for the bad things that occur, but it is the fault of humans that do not depend on Him for guidance and that do not live the kind of lives they should.  We all have to come to Him of our own free will, desiring to have His light shine in and through us.  

If we allow our lives to be ruled by the god of this world, and ban God from our being, then we have to accept the consequences of our choices.  If we do not pay for those choices while here on earth, we most certainly will pay for them in eternity.

 “Don’t fret because of evildoers; don’t envy the wicked.  For evil people have no future; the light of the wicked will be snuffed out.” (Proverbs 24:19-20) 

Have you ever driven through a tunnel that has been hewn through a mountain?  So long and so dark that they either installed lighting along the way or you have to turn on your headlights?  For me, it is always a relief to see the light of day at the end of that tunnel.

There are so many problems facing our nation right now it is like driving into that long, dark tunnel.  There are days when it feels like the light has been extinguished and we have to wonder if it will ever end.  But, we must stay strong, maintain our faith, keep praying and be confident that the light will soon appear – we will reach the other side of this darkness. 

We should strive to live our lives in such a way, that regardless of anything that happens we reflect the light of God.  We should show forth His love, joy, peace, understanding and on and on, so that the evildoers do not have to be “snuffed out.”  If Christians do not reflect the light of God, how will the darkness in the world that dwells in the lives of so many ever dissipate?  We have a huge responsibility.  

Darkness cannot exist when there is light.  So we need to do our best to be that light at the end of the dark tunnel that leads the unbelievers out of their unbelief and sinfulness to a life of goodness.

Written by Karran Martin – May 21, 2019 & edited July 5, 2020