You can’t see ultraviolet light at all, but when you put it on something that reflects it, you can identify the wavelength. Your eyes can pick up certain wavelengths in specific ways. And that reminded me of Psalm 119:105, “Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path” (NIV).
The light you choose determines what you see.
One of the reasons we have so many disagreements in our culture today is because people choose different lights to see through.
- The light of science puts on that lens and can only see things that can be measured. A conflict occurs sometimes because as believers in Christ, we have the light of Scripture on something that makes no sense to someone who sees life only through the light of science. They don’t see what we see.
1 Corinthians 1:18 says, “For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God” (NIV).
- The light of emotions. We deal with our own lives when we see a situation through the lens of emotional reaction.
- The light of our own wisdom. Different philosophers and gurus talk about “living your truth.”
People live by their own truth without any absolute.
We have no intentional life in Christ without the light of Scripture. Any other light keeps us half lit.
If you’re going to live the life God intends for you, it needs to come from a scriptural basis.
Without Scripture as the ultimate light; you really can’t have an intentional life from Christ.
The implication of that statement is huge.
Keep Scripture elevated.
The light you choose isn’t just about what you see, but how far you see and why it matters. Back to the verse for a moment. Two things are going on in Psalm 119:105. Yes, God’s Word is guiding you in in the direction of what you’re doing.
The word lamp in Hebrew means a dim light, just enough to see the next moment. It’s kind of like the running lights in your car. Perhaps you drove down the road and you didn’t turn the lights on all the way. The low lights are running just enough for you to see just a few feet ahead of you. And you’re probably thinking, Why is everything so dark?
It’s like looking down at my feet with enough light to see where I’m at right now. And the Bible must have truth in it for what my next step is. That’s intentional living – allowing the Word of God to light the way when I need to make a decision about the next step in my life.
The writer goes on to say, God’s Word is also a light to my path. It illuminates your path. It’s going out further, like putting on the high beams in your car.
I remember driving on the back roads in Michigan during deer season. You had to be careful at dusk because deer could jump out into the road. You put the high beams on to see half a mile or more down the road, so you can see those beady eyes looking at you.
The Word is here, not only for today, but also for tomorrow. And with that in mind, let’s look at both the miles and the moments of life in the next blog Moments and Miles – through the Light of Scripture. One focuses on distance and the points to time – like these high beams and low beams – we need both in our life.
