The night is nearly over, and the daylight is near, so let us discard the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. Let us walk in decency, as in the daylight: not in carousing and drunkenness; not in sexual impurity and promiscuity; not in jealousy. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no plans to satisfy the fleshly desires. Romans 13:12 HCSB
Night is an interesting time. I don’t mind the night when I can get a good night’s sleep, but I am definitely not a night person. In my years of work, there were occasions when I had to work through the night. I was not a fan.
Some people love staying up late and sleeping in. I guess it’s all a matter of personal preference. But there is an old saying that says, “Nothing good happens after 10pm.” The night tends to be when most of your crimes are committed. They happen under the cover of darkness.
People tend to do more indecent things at night. It’s as though they can hide their sin in the darkness. That’s kind of crazy though because we know we can’t hide our sin from God.
Paul tells us to walk in decency as we do in the daylight.
Not many people go barhopping or carousing during the daylight hours. Sexual impurity and promiscuity are things that tend to be those done at night. And then our scripture passage mentions quarreling and jealousy. These too are things that tend to happen more at night.
I am a bit of a true crime junkie, and I am amazed at how many murderous plots begin at night and in barrooms. If you look into true crime stories, you will find that many of them start in a barroom or casino and there is alcohol or drugs involved.
There have been times in my life when I have felt as though I was trapped in a long period of darkness. There have been nights that seemed to go on forever. In our Scripture passage, however, Paul assures us that the night is nearly over, and daylight is near.
When we are trapped in sin, it’s like living in darkness. The only way out of this is Jesus Christ. He is our Lord and Savior. He can pull us from the darkness into the daylight.
Paul tells us to put on the armor of light. We must make a decision to no longer walk in darkness but to follow Jesus Christ and walk in the light. Paul also mentions the armor a Christian must daily choose to wear in Ephesians 6:10-18. But the most important thing we can wear is the protective hedge God provides. Paul tells us to put on Jesus Christ.
We must decide to leave the darkness and step into the light. We must choose to put away the deeds of the night and walk by faith in the light God provides. I’m not just talking about sunlight; I’m talking about His light.
When we walk in darkness, we run the risk of being hurt. We run the risk of falling deeper into our sinful ways. Turn to Jesus and bring the night to an end. Step into the daylight. Let His love light your way.
Have a great day!