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It is said that since light travels faster then sound,
some people appear bright until you hear them speak. It seems the "for
Dummies" publishers have latched onto this and produced a seemingly
endless line of useful guides to myriad subjects. I am currently reading
Mormonism for Dummies, only because someone thought it might
be good if I reviewed it. Whether it is worth reviewing, and whether
my review is worth reading you will have to wait and see. What is interesting
is that no area seems outside the scope of this type of book now. Blaggers
guides, cheats guides, cribs and books for dummies can be found everywhere.
There is even Christianity for Dummies.
Lets Talk Sense
The Lord, in this parable, is talking about light and light shows us things as they really are. The psalmist declares:
Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to
my path. (Ps.119:105)
Light shows us the nature of the terrain as we walk, showing us how it really is. Now, walking may seem so natural to us that we don't think about it. But it is not just a question of walking but also of where we walk. In proverbs we read:
There is a way that seems right to a man, but
in the end it leads to death. (Pr.14:12)
And
The way of a fool seems right to him, but a
wise man listens to advice. (Pr.12:15)
So light is essential if we are to tell the difference between the way of the fool and the way of the wise man, the way of life and the way to death. There are ways that seem right and, if we are not sure of the way to choose, the wise man calls for more light. Jesus said:
Whatever is hidden is meant to be disclosed,
and whatever is concealed is meant to be brought out into the open.
There is the problem of course. Light shows us what is and dispels our illusions. We may be enamoured with the idea of light but not so happy with the reality it makes us face. This is the nub of the matter. Are we serious enough about our faith to face the truth about ourselves? Through Isaiah the Lord reasoned with his people:
"Come let us reason together", says the Lord,
"Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow,
Though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool. (Isaiah 1:18)
The light shows up the crimson of our sins. It also shows us the solution to our sinful dilemma. Will we walk in the light and confess our sins like reasonable people or will we attempt, like our first parents, to hide our sins? Which is wise and which is foolish?
Not for Dummies
Christianity is not for dummies simply because it is not something the true Christian follows blindly. "Follow blindly" is an oxymoron to the Christian. Christianity challenges us at each step to think about what we believe and why; to consider what we are being shown as the light increases, and what we will do with what the light shows us. It is not for dummies because it demands that of us that can only be given intelligently. You see, in the final analysis Jesus is the light of the world who also made the world (John 1:3-5) and came to show us what the world was made for, how we have spoiled it, and what God has done about it. The dummy declares that he will go his own way, disregarding the maker's instructions. It is the wise person, the thinking person, who considers what the light reveals and adjusts his or her life accordingly. May the Lord help us to grow in wisdom as the light increases this week. May the light he gives us overflow into the lives of others that they, too, may walk in the light and may we all learn to "consider carefully what [we] hear" as Jesus says in this parable and in Isaiah 1.
NB. Consider: to think or deliberate on; to attend to; to think seriously or carefully.
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