Our Family Time with God

Oct. 25, 2009

NO FELLOWSHIP WITH DARKNESS!

Scripture Reading--Ephesians 5:8, 11

"For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord:

walk as children of light....And have no fellowship with the

unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them"

( emphasis added ).

Light and darkness are opposites. The Bible describes our spiritual condition before we were saved as "spiritual darkness." But when we accepted Christ as Savior, we moved from the darkness into "spiritual light." One of the great dangers threatening the Christian family is having continual "fellowship" with the unprofitable things from which we were saved.

To the born-again Christian, fellowship is precious and describes our love for one another in the Lord. It means closeness, enjoyment, pleasure, and satisfaction. God says we should have no fellowship with the "darkness" He saved us from.

When we enter a dark room, the first thing we find is the light switch. As soon as we touch it, light floods the room, and the darkness is gone. Light and darkness cannot exist together. Light overcomes darkness. That's what the word reprove means.

Yesterday, we learned that the devil wants to destroy our families. Today's lesson is that the works of darkness will defile your family. When a Christian family constantly returns to the things of the old life from which Christ saved them, they will experience the contaminating effects of sin.

One of the most convenient ways a Christian family can fellowship with darkness is through the TV, which brings the worst darkness into the middle of family life. Because of TV, many Christian families not only tolerate but also accept drinking, swearing, indecency, perversion, violence, and a whole lot more. Computers, music, dress, reading, toys and entertainment are others readily accessible ways darkness invades our homes. Yes, this is radical, but so is protecting our precious families from evil!

APPLICATION: Today, make a commitment to protect your family from the defiling effects of spiritual darkness and to take a strong stand against them.

--Jack Palmer--