Be Glad: Children of Light & Saints & Children of Holy God
As the dawning of the day comes, fog lays thick. Some would say: This will for sure mean a deep snow this winter, as the number of foggy mornings in August equals the number of snows that will fall. The denser the fog, the deeper the snow. Years ago, when working at the local newspaper office, one of the employees who lived out in the country counted the daily fogs for our editor to use in his annual snow prediction article. From their practice, I took to counting too, looking outside each morning before leaving for school. Some days, the fog would be so thick, that it seemed no light could penetrate through, and then on other days, the fog would lay lightly in the valleys, not rising any farther to cause any disturbance to my morning commute.
As these thoughts of foggy mornings fill my memory, I see the dense fog that permeates the morning outside my front window, and I think: It will be difficult for bus drivers to see children standing by the roadways this morning. & The headlights of cars will not be easily seen by motorists as they drive to work this morning. These thoughts lead me to consider the ‘light’ that the LORD has placed within those who believe, within His saints, the children of God. What a Good Father He is to us.
Yes, just as the psalmist proclaims, we shout aloud today—
“The LORD has done great things for us;
(The Psalm 126: 3 NASB)
We are glad.”
The word ‘glad’ is a useful word in the English language, working as adjective, describing ‘how’ a person might feel or ‘what’ a person might be or even ‘what type’ this day might be. Additionally, the word ‘glad’ belongs to an organization (the Glad company) that makes trash bags, cling wrap, and plastic bags that hold all our things. In the Bible, the psalmist uses ‘glad’ to describe the children of God and then explains why we are categorized as ‘glad’ individuals.
“We are glad”, for the “great things”
“The LORD has done. . . for us;”.
Be Glad: Children of Light.
“for you were formerly darkness,
(The Letter of Paul to the Ephesians 5: 8-10 NASB)
but now you are Light in the Lord;
walk as children of Light
(for the fruit of the Light consists in all goodness and righteousness and truth),
trying to learn what is pleasing to the Lord.”
The LORD has saved our souls from eternal damnation; we can walk through this earthly existence ‘glad,’ remembering how we were formerly known as one who walked in “darkness, but now you [us who believe in Jesus] are Light in the Lord;”. Just as the sunlight permeates the fog, the Light of God permeates our heart, changes us from within—out, and we become the redeemed children of Light. Since we are His children, we are to “walk as children of Light . . . trying to learn what is pleasing to the Lord.” As we do, then our Father produces His fruit inside us for others to see: His “goodness” & His “righteousness” & His “truth.”
Not only has the LORD saved our souls from eternal damnation, giving us a reason for us to walk in a manner that pleases the Lord, but the children of Light can rejoice because in Jesus, we also become His Saints. Let no one twist the Word of God, for we are what we are in Jesus Christ.
Be Glad: Children of Light, You Saints.
“To the church of God which is at Corinth,
(The 1st Letter of Paul to the Corinthians 1: 2 NASB)
to those who have been sanctified in Christ Jesus,
saints by calling,
with all who in every place call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ,
their Lord and ours:”
Without a doubt, once we are redeemed children of Light, we are set apart, sanctified for the Lord. This means that we are to not become stagnant in our growth but are to grow up in our spiritual maturity. We currently live in a post-Covid world, one where many were forced to attend church online. Although that practice was necessary for a time, we are not to forsake the assembling together with other saints of God, for we need one another: for fellowship, for encouragement, for help carrying our burdens, for our care, for our edification, & for many more reasons. We are set apart from the life we once walked in darkness to now walk as the children of Light, being sanctified as we walk alongside the body of Christ Jesus. Truly, without the presence of other believers congregating alongside us, we cannot become the Christian, the follower of Christ, God desires us to be. We need the assembly with other believers for our spiritual growth, just as the Lord gave the author of The Letter to the Hebrews to write—
“Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering,
(The Letter to the Hebrews 10: 23-25 NASB)
for He who promised is faithful;
and let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds,
not forsaking our own assembling together,
as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another;
and all the more as you see the day drawing near.”
- We are so ‘glad’ for what the Lord has done for us. He has made us His, the children of Light.
- We can walk ‘glad’ for our Lord Jesus Christ remains faithful. The LORD has set us apart from the world of darkness, sanctifying us as we walk homeward to the place He has gone to prepare for us.
- We are sealed and led by His Holy Spirit, producing the good works He has for us, gathering together with other believers in Jesus, for we need one another so much as we walk through the craziness of this world.
As the fog remains this morning, covering the world, making it difficult to drive or to be seen, the Holy Spirit reminds us, as we prepare to step out into this world, to walk, may we wear our fluorescent orange shorts as we walk & may we— BE GLAD for ALL THE REASONS: Children of Light & Saints in Christ Jesus & Children of Holy God.
“See how great a love the Father has bestowed on us,
(The 1st Letter of John 3: 1a NASB)
that we would be called children of God;
and such we are.”
May we lift our hands, our hearts, and our voices in praise, for we belong to the LORD.