Renovation of the Heart
The Children of Light and the Light of the World (1|4)
Pages 227-231
• A Composite Picture of “Children of Light”
• Thought Life
• Feelings
• Will (Spirit, Heart)
• Body
• Social Relations
• Soul
TOGETHER read the devotional and the scripture.
INDIVIDUALLY take notes in your journal on what stands out.
Ephesians 2:6-10 (NIV) God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith —and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
Ephesians 3:10-12 (NIV) His intent was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms, according to his eternal purpose that he accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord. In him and through faith in him we may approach God with freedom and confidence.
Ephesians 5:8 (NIV) For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth) and find out what pleases the Lord.
Philippians 2:9-11 (NIV) Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
TOGETHER pray for one another.
INDIVIDUALLY answer the questions in your journal - process your devotional notes and pray.
“Spiritual formation in Christlikeness during our lives here on earth is a constant movement toward this eternal appointment God placed upon each of us in our creation - (Matthew 25:34 NIV “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world.”). This movement forward is now carried on through our apprenticeship to Jesus Christ. It is a process of character transformation toward complete trustworthiness before God.”
What is the outcome of human history from God’s point of view, and what is your share in it?
A Composite Picture of “Children of Light”
“To call them children of light is, in biblical terminology, to say that they have the basic nature of light: that light is their parent and has passed on to them its nature, as any parent does. - Now, these people are not perfect and do not live in a perfect world - yet. But they are remarkably different. - Where the children of light differ is primarily and most importantly on the ‘inside’ of their lives. It lies in what they are in their depths.”
Have you known people who fit the composite picture of the children of light drawn in this chapter? Some who were close? Some moving in that direction?
In the following attributes for the “Children of Light”: Thought Life, Feelings, Will (Spirit, Heart), Body, Social Relations, and soul - seem impossible to attain on this side of eternity. As you read through them pay attention to what sticks out, what challenges, and what inspires. After each quote think about the earlier apprentices of Jesus and question if they actually became/fulfilled those descriptions.
Thought Life
“They love to dwell upon God and upon his greatness and loveliness, as brought to light in Jesus Christ. - Their minds are filled with biblical expressions of God’s nature, his actions, and his plans for them in his world. They do not dwell upon evil. It is not a big thing in their thoughts. They are sure of its defeat, but they still deal with it appropriately in specific situations. - They are positive, realistic so based upon the nature of God as they understand it.”
Feelings
“The emotional life of children of light is deeply characterized by love. That is how they invest the emotional side of their being. They love lots of good things, and they love people. They love their lives and who they are. They are thankful for their lives - even though they may contain many difficulties, even persecution, and martyrdom. - Because of what they have learned about God, they are confident and hopeful and do not indulge thoughts or rejection, failure, and hopelessness, because they know better.”
Will (Spirit, Heart)
“They are devoted to doing what is good and right. Their will is habitually attuned to it, just as their minds and emotions are habitually homing in on God. They are attentive to rightness, to kindness, to helpfulness, and they are purposefully knowledgeable about life, about what people need, and about how to do what is right and good in appropriate ways. - They are abandoned to God’s will and do not struggle and deliberate as to whether they will do what they know to be wrong. They do not hesitate to do what they know to be right. It is the obvious thing to do.”
Body
“The body is constantly poised to do what is right and good without thinking. And that also means that it does not automatically move into what is wrong, even contrary to their resolves and intentions, before they can think to not do it. It is no longer true of them that their ‘Spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak’ (Matthew 26:41 NIV). - Their bodies and body parts are consecrated to serve God and are habituated to be his holy instruments. They instinctively avoid the paths of temptation. - There is a freshness about them, a kind of quiet strength, and transparency.”
Social Relations
“They do not conceal their thoughts and feelings (nor do they impose them upon everyone). Because of their confidence in God, they do not try to manipulate and manage others. Needless to say, in their social contexts they do not go on the attack or on the hunt, intending to use or to hurt others. - They know how to really ‘be there’ (wherever ‘there’ is) without sharing evil, as was true of Jesus himself. - They do not reject or distance themselves from the people who may be involved in such situations. They know how to ‘love the sinner and hate the sin’ gracefully and effectively.”
Soul
“They flow. That is, the things we have been describing are not things the children of light are constantly trying hard to do, gritting their teeth and carrying on. Instead, these are features of life that well up out of a soul that is at home in God. - This is the outcome of spiritual formation in Christlikeness. Again, it doesn’t mean perfection, but it does mean we have here a person whose soul is whole: a person who, through the internalized integrity of the law of God and the administrations of the gospel and the Spirit, has restored soul.”
EXTRA READING:
“For my feet your holy word is a lantern, a light that shows me the way forward; as this morning star rises upon us we understand the great gifts that God’s Spirit has certainly promised to us, and in these we have our hope.”
- Lazarus Spengler (1479 - 1534)