Dark World / Bright light While much of the world adopts the label "progressive", and lauds the ever developing "freedoms" to live by whatever their desires dictate, the world grows darker by the day. I don't have to enumerate the various issues that invade our daily existence. You are very aware of them...which is the point of this short statement. While the darkness of the world should be of great concern to followers of the Christ, it should not be surprising. Man is fallen in nature. Without redemption, he will live in sin. The scriptures speak clearly of the debased mind which will rule absent the transformation which comes from a relationship with God through Christ. There are no new sins. They may be more exposed and take different forms, and even be openly celebrated now, even "legalized", but nothing new has been discovered. Interestingly, sadly, many of these issues are openly discussed, promoted by media and the so-called "arts", accepted and adopted by much of the public, and now have become huge political issues. With this exposure and open acceptance, the world becomes "darker." Bright Light - So what should the Christian reaction be? Dismay? Discouragement? Defeat? Hardly. It is sad, for sure, but we certainly shouldn't be shocked or surprised. In fact, it could be viewed as a great opportunity. It's in the darkest room that a light shines the brightest. The contrast between darkness and light is greatest when the light is brought into a dark place. The light of righteousness will be more noticeable when contrasted with the darkness of sinfulness. As believers, we should certainly not welcome the "progressiveness" (read, "degeneration"), but we should take advantage of it by making sure our "light" is visible to our "world". (Each of us has a "world" in which we exist.) “You are the light of the world—like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden. No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father. (Mat 5:14-16) How can the world know truth if they have no light? We allow our light to shine by not "placing it under a basket" and being open and clear about our loyalty to the teachings and principles of God. Our light shines most brightly when we not only declare our beliefs, but most importantly, live by them.