Walking in the Light
Scripture: “The night is far gone; the day is at hand. So then let us cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light.” (Romans 13.12, ESV)
MAIN POINT: Those who hope for Christ’s return live now as citizens of His coming kingdom.
The Advent hope transforms not just our perspective but our behavior. Paul is explicit: “Let us walk properly as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and sensuality, not in quarreling and jealousy. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires” (Romans 13:13-14, ESV). Those who hope for Christ’s return don’t live as though this world is all there is.
Isaiah saw the day when “many peoples shall come, and say: ‘Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob, that he may teach us his ways and that we may walk in his paths'” (Isaiah 2:3, ESV). That day is coming. The night is far gone. The day is at hand. We are people who belong to the coming Kingdom, and we should live like it now.
This isn’t legalism; it’s logic. If you really believe Christ is returning to judge the living and the dead, if you really believe you’ll stand before Him to give an account, if you really believe this world is passing away—then it makes no sense to live for fleeting pleasures and temporary gains. Put on Christ. Walk in the light. Live as one who knows the day is dawning.
Reflection: Hope for the future kingdom should transform how we live in the present world. What “works of darkness” do you need to cast off? What would it look like to “put on the Lord Jesus Christ” in your specific circumstances today?
Prayer: Lord Jesus Christ, clothe me with Yourself. Strip away every work of darkness that clings to me. Help me to walk as a child of light, living today in the reality of Your coming kingdom. Come quickly, Lord Jesus. Amen.
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