Daily Devotion – February 10, 2021 – Dr. Pat Taylor Ellison
2 Corinthians 4:3-6
4:3 And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing.
4:4 In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.
4:5 For we do not proclaim ourselves; we proclaim Jesus Christ as Lord and ourselves as your slaves for Jesus’ sake.
4:6 For it is the God who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.
Paul, was writing to the Corinthians, a congregation that was pretty sure they knew what was what. They were a cosmopolitan crowd with many languages among them and many perspectives on world beliefs. Paul wanted them to know that such “wise people” as they were could be blind, too – blind to the real Truth by a lot of other lesser truths peddled by lesser gods.
We might say, “Lesser gods? What’s that about?” But Paul and many people of his time knew that folks prayed to all sorts of deities, very different from the God of Israel, who was lifted up by believers as the One, True God. Next to our God there is no other.
And then there are all the lesser gods in our lives today, things we are devoted to, some of them very good things indeed, but they are not God. Paul says these lesser gods and lesser objects of our affection and devotion actually blind the minds of unbelievers to keep them/us from seeing the light of the Gospel, the good news, the glory of Christ. Indeed, how often are we distracted by the many good things in our lives, so distracted and focused elsewhere that we are like folks with blindfolds on, who cannot see the light of God in Jesus Christ?
Paul says that God, who created the light at the beginning of time, shines it into our hearts to give us the knowledge of the glory of Christ Jesus. This is a generous God, to keep shining light on us even when we turn away from it. And when God does this, we reflect that God-light into the world, into the lives of our friends and neighbors. This week, at least once, let’s experience the feeling of being filled with the light that God created in the beginning. And when we are filled, let’s try shining some of that light into the life of someone else.
Lord God, Thank you for loving us. Thank you for creating light and for shining it into us to fill us with knowledge of you and your joy. Help us to feel that light and share it with someone else this week. Amen.
