March 17th, 2025: John 3.19-21

John 3:19-21
19 “And this is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil.
20 “For everyone who does evil hates the Light, and does not come to the Light lest his deeds be exposed.
21 “But he who practices the truth comes to the Light, so that his deeds may be manifested as having been done by God.”

Jesus speaks towards the common temptation to hide our sins instead of confessing them. The light, or the way of life in God, reveals to us the sins we may be entangled in. That is why we naturally fight against it, preferring to be hid in the dark. Yet we condemn ourselves with this response. Rather we should take hold of the beautiful words of life that God has given to us, spoken from the prophets of old and in these last days by His son Jesus, and practice the truth. This will bring our works right and honest before God so we have no fear of the light. When we try to hide our sins, we are pulling away from God and His saving light, while embracing the condemnation of the darkness.

It is not an easy job to acknowledge your own faults. We feel exposed and vulnerable each time; but, there is comfort in our God when we do. We can rest assured that the shame that comes on us when facing down our own pride will swiftly be taken away when we can come before our loving and compassionate God, who readily forgives when we repent. When we practice truth and make the life changing choice to walk in light and not in darkness.