Divide Your Light from the Darkness

JORDAN FALSLEV

22 September 2019

Smithfield YSA 4th & 5th Ward

Light is amazing! Yet it is one of those daily gifts that we take for granted, at least until our power goes out and we find ourselves fumbling in the darkness. 

Without natural light, we are unable to see without some type of manmade device.

Our eyes are made to find light. In fact, to do their job they need light. Stand in a windowless room and turn off the light. At first, you will see nothing but rather quickly your eyes do a miraculous thing. They actually adjust so that they can see using small amounts of light. It’s an incredible process.

We need light to see. Both physically and spiritually. 

We can go back to the beginning of recorded Biblical history to see how much Jesus Christ, under the direction of the Father valued light for His creation. In the very first chapter of Genesis, we find the introduction of light to an earth immersed in darkness, without shape or purpose. In the beginning, God began the process of creation and new life with light.

Moses 2:2-5 share the same truth and similar wording;

2 And the earth was without form, and void; and I caused darkness to come up upon the face of the deep; and my Spirit moved upon the face of the water; for I am God.

3 And I, God, said: Let there be light; and there was light.

4 And I, God, saw the light; and that light was good. And I, God, divided the light from the darkness.

5 And I, God, called the light Day; and the darkness, I called Night; and this I did by the word of my power, and it was done as I spake; and the evening and the morning were the first day.

You may notice that God knew how good light was for the earth and all creation. You may also notice in the sequence of creation found in the rest of the chapter, this light is not the same as the sun and moon mentioned as created on the fourth day.

So what was this light that God called good and chased away the darkness from creation? We find clues as we read from the Gospel of John 1:3-5; 

3 All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.

4 In him was life; and the life was the light of men.

5 And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not. 

If we continue to read, we see that the Apostle John tells us that John the Baptist testified that Jesus was the true light who has come to live among us. Just as the “Premortal light” chased away the darkness of the newly created earth, the “mortal light” of Jesus was needed to dispel the darkness of sin which had found its way into the human heart.

John 1: 9-11 reads;

9 That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world.

10 He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not.

11 He came unto his own, and his own received him not.

Just as John records, the people of that day did not welcome Jesus, The Light of the World. We continue today to see others close the light out and prefer, in their ignorance, to live in darkness. The natural man and woman builds walls and closes doors to the light that would reveal Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ’s goodness and Their purpose for our lives.

Jesus said, as recorded in Matthew 5:14-16;

14 Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid.

15 Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house.

16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven. 

I believe there are small openings and cracks in those walls and doors that we build around ourselves. Cracks that are just right for the light of Jesus to shine in and make a difference in our lives, and make us want more and more light until all the darkness has been chased away.

Daily, open those doors and let the fullness of Jesus’ light shine into our dark places. Just as the sun and moon give off light to this earth, we can give our light, gained by the light of Christ, to this dark world.

It’s amazing to think that without light, there is complete darkness. Every morning we should express sincere gratitude to Heavenly Father that He provided the sun and His Son to provide us light and direction. Another exciting reality is that no amount of darkness can extinguish even the tiniest light, and confirms that as Creator, His authority is greater than any other power.

When we are small, it’s common to be afraid of the dark because our natural instinct does not trust the unknown. We imagine creatures that can see us and are waiting in the shadows to grab us. We laugh at how silly this sounds, but fear is associated with our fallen human nature, and even as adults we are still faced with the temptation to be anxious and worried about what we cannot understand. It is only when our mind has been renewed by the Word and Spirit of the Lord that by faith we can trust Him and know there is nothing to fear as long as we are with Him.

Psalms 27:1; The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?

Sister Sharon Eubank gave a powerful talk this last General Conference titled, Christ: The Light That Shines in Darkness. I encourage all of you to read, re-read, watch or listen to that talk when you have free time this week. 

She said, “One of the fundamental needs we have in order to grow is to stay connected to our source of light—Jesus Christ.”

Throughout the rest of this Sabbath day I encourage you to ask yourself, “How can I stay connected to Jesus Christ, my true source of light?”

Sister Eubank continues, “He is the source of our power, the Light and Life of the World. Without a strong connection to Him, we begin to spiritually die. Knowing that, satan tries to exploit the worldly pressures we all face. He works to dim our light, short-circuit the connection, cut off the power supply, leaving us alone in the dark. These pressures are common conditions in mortality, but satan works hard to isolate us and tell us we are the only one experiencing them.”

Ponder also these self-reflection questions;

How has Christ been a source of light and power in my life?

In what ways does satan “dim our light” or “leave us alone in the dark?”

The word “light” occurs hundreds of times in the scriptures. Our Father in Heaven and his Son Jesus Christ are frequently described in terms of Their light.  John 1:5 teaches us that “God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.” The Savior describes Himself, saying “I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.” John 8:12

Light is frequently tied with truth. The Doctrine and Covenants teaches us that “the word of the Lord is truth, and whatsoever is truth is light, and whatsoever is light is Spirit, even the Spirit of Jesus Christ.” To increase in light is to increase in knowledge of the truth, to become increasingly filled with the Spirit.

President Hinckley shared; “People sometimes ask me, “What is your favorite verse of scripture?” I tell them that I have many, but among these is one for which I feel a particular love. It is found in the fiftieth section of the Doctrine and Covenants and reads as follows:

 “That which is of God is light; and he that receiveth light, and continueth in God, receiveth more light; and that light groweth brighter and brighter until the perfect day” (D&C 50:24). I ask you to ponder those words: “That which is of God is light; and he that receiveth light, and continueth in God, receiveth more light; and that light groweth brighter and brighter until the perfect day.” For me, in those few words there is encompassed the marvelous concept of the eternal plan of God in behalf of his sons and daughters whom He loves. That statement speaks of learning. It speaks of the now and the forever. It speaks of growth and development. It is positive and affirmative and wonderful.”

That which is of God is light. This is key.  By revealing doctrines, principles, commandments, and covenants unto us, our Father in Heaven strives to bless us with light. The adversary, on the other hand, strives to take light out of our lives. Consider the warning in D&C 93:39; “And that wicked one cometh and taketh away light and truth.” Satan will try to take away light and truth from you by twisting your perception of God’s doctrines, principles, commandments, and covenants and by distorting your response to them.  

In an address given in February 2006, Elder Bednar emphasized satan’s distorting efforts, teaching us that satan, “distorts the doctrines that matter most to us individually, to our families, and to the world.”

When our choices distort our vision, we grieve God and give satan cause to celebrate. He smiles when scripture study bores us, he cheers when prayer is words from the mouth rather than communion from the heart, and he laughs when the counsel of prophets and apostles, and our local leaders offend us. By leading you along his dangerous path, satan can turn the bright sunlit day of your life into darkness. You make it easy for him when you make choices that distort your vision. Be on your guard.

I know that we can find light by diligently searching the scriptures, by communing with our Heavenly Father, and by obeying inspired counsel carefully and promptly.

D&C 50:23; “That which doth not edify is not of God, and is darkness.” If there is anything in your life that turns off your light, you know where it comes from.  If it does not strengthen and encourage you, it cannot be of God. It is darkness. Chase it away with light. 

When I wear my contact lenses, I have a clearer vision. Without them, everything is blurry. Satan would have you believe that spiritual blurriness is normal. Where there is simple, he will offer complication. Where there is clarity, he will offer exceptions to the rule. Where there is sharpness, he will offer blurriness. Among other ways, he blurs our vision by inviting and enticing us to sin.

When we sin, we immediately begin to lose focus, but the change occurs in such tiny increments that it can be unnoticeable. To further blur the difference between right and wrong, light and darkness, the enemy dismisses, mocks, and attacks divine standards, offering in their place his own phony standards. 

Doctrine and Covenants 93:28 teaches us how to receive light. “He that keepeth his commandments receiveth truth and light.” We receive light when we take God’s doctrines, principles, commandments, and covenants deeply into our hearts and then obey them. 

Our Father in Heaven has blessed us with abundant opportunities to receive light, but we must choose to receive it.  If I receive light by accepting and living according to truth, I increase my spiritual safety. If I reject light, ignore it, or if I fail to take it seriously, light will do me no more good than a seat belt that I leave unfastened.

Elder Robert D. Hales gave a powerful illustration of this principle.  He said,

“When I was a boy, I used to ride my bicycle home from basketball practice at night. I would connect a small pear-shaped generator to my bicycle tire. Then as I pedaled, the tire would turn a tiny rotor, which produced electricity and emitted a single, welcome beam of light. It was a simple but effective mechanism. But I had to pedal to make it work! I learned quickly that if I stopped pedaling my bicycle, the light would go out. I also learned that when I was “anxiously engaged” in pedaling, the light would become brighter and the darkness in front of me would be dispelled.”

“Spiritual light comes from daily spiritual pedaling. It comes from praying, studying the scriptures, fasting, and serving—from living the gospel and obeying the commandments.”

Are you pedaling with both feet? 

We are truly blessed to live during the great dispensation of the fullness of times.  

We have an outpouring of light contained in the Restored Gospel of Jesus Christ! We literally have Prophets and Apostles who speak the love and the will of God to us on the daily, if we choose to, with the gift of technology. This month alone we have been blessed to hear from a handful of them. Tonight we have the opportunity to hear from Elder Jeffrey R. Holland at the USU Spectrum. 

As much light as there is available at our fingertips, more than anytime in the history of humankind, there is also the opposite. Deep down everyone yearns for light! Make sure you are constantly feeding your physical and spiritual needs with God’s light. 

My fellow comrades, as I like to call you, however bright or dim your light may be, start pedaling. It may be weak at first, but the light that you generate through your obedience will become strong as you pedal with all your heart, might, mind and strength. 

I close with the words of our dear Prophet, Russell M. Nelson, that he gave this Tuesday at BYU. Each time he says the word truth, think of the word light. Remember they are the tied together; 

“Some things are simply true. The arbiter of truth is God—not your favorite social media news feed, not Google, and certainly not those who are disaffected from the Church.”

“President Spencer W. Kimball taught that absolute truth cannot be “altered by the opinions of men. . . . If men are really humble, they will realize that they discover, but do not create, truth.”

“Many now claim that truth is relative and that there is no such thing as divine law or a divine plan. Such a claim is simply not true. There is a difference between right and wrong. Truth is based upon the laws God has established for the dependability, protection, and nurturing of His children. Eternal laws operate in and affect each of our lives, whether we believe them or not.”

“You may know for yourself what is true and what is not by learning to discern the whisperings of the Spirit. For the “Spirit speaketh truth and lieth not. . . . [I]t speaketh of things as they really are, and of things as they really will be.””

“My dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to seek earnestly a confirmation from the Spirit that what I [teach] is true and is from the Lord. He has declared that we may seek knowledge from heaven and expect to receive it: “If thou shalt ask,” the Lord promised, “thou shalt receive revelation upon revelation, knowledge upon knowledge.”

“Ask your Heavenly Father if we truly are the Lord’s Apostles and Prophets. Ask if we receive revelation.”

I bear testimony of these things and pray that we may all walk in the light of Jesus Christ daily.  In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.