Contrast and Irony.

One of my favorite topics is the contrast between light and darkness...so I'm sorry that you're having to read about it again, but I just can't help it. I've actually become so intrigued by this contrast that I notice it in the most obscure places...like sitting at DeMoss and watching the sky get darker and darker in relation to the stark white of the columns. As I was reading through Exodus 10 a bit ago, I came across this familiar passage about the plagues sent upon Egypt because Pharaoh would not let the Israelites worship God...a story that we are all very familiar with and can probably picture as a VeggieTales story. But when I read it this time, I comprehended something new...well God revealed something new to me.

"So Moses lifted his hand to the sky, and a deep darkness covered the entire land of Egypt for three days. During all that time the people could not see each other, and no one moved. But there was light as usual where the people of Israel lived." --Exodus 10:22-23

Did you get that? The Egyptians were in the darkness, so they didn't move. Just as the non-believers in our society, they were blinded by the darkness. But where the Israelites lived, there was light. Because they were following the Lord, they were honored...but with that comes great responsibility. As Christians, we are children of the Light...our lives are lived out in the open, where those in darkness can so clearly see us...isn't that how we would want it to be? We are Christ's ambassadors. It has been said that there are 5 Gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, and You. You could be the only way that someone gets to see what God is like.

"God's light came into the world, but people loved the darkness more than the light, for their actions were evil. All who do evil hate the light and refuse to go near it for fear their sins will be exposed. But those who do what is right come to the light so others can see that they are doing what God wants." --John 3:19b-21

Now on to the ironies. One thing that God has been teaching me lately is the vast difference between what we expect and what God has planned. Even though it is hard to surrender what we think would be best for our lives, it is inexplicably rewarding for God to take control. Probably the most painful and moving example of the irony between what we think and what is true is the sacrifice of Christ.

"He was despised and rejected--a man of sorrows, acquainted with deepest grief. We turned our backs on Him and looked the other way. He was despised, and we did not care. Yet it was our weaknesses He carried; it was our sorrows that weighed Him down. And we thought His troubles were a punishment from God, a punishment for His own sins! But He was pierced for our rebellion, crushed for our sins. He was beaten so we could be whole. He was whipped so we could be healed." --Isaiah 53:3-5

Wow. I simply cannot understand how and why we would think that His troubles were a punishment for His own sins. But when we turned our backs on Him and basically forgot about the consequences of our actions, He died for us. No greater love than this. When I read 2 Corinthians 6 the other day, this section caught my attention...to say the least. It shows the ironic contrast between what is valued by the world and what has eternal significance. We are working for the Kingdom...and it seems like foolishness to those who don't believe.

"We serve God whether people honor us or despise us, whether they slander us or praise us. We are honest, but they call us impostors. We are ignored, even though we are well known. We live close to death, but we are still alive. We have been beaten, but we have not been killed. Our hearts ache, but we always have joy. We are poor, but we give spiritual riches to others. We own nothing, and yet we have everything." --2 Corinthians 6:8-10