Under Your Nose

“The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” John 1:5

I recently purchased an iPhone along with an OtterBox case to protect it. I also bought a Zagg Screen protector to protect the screen. A few days ago we were at the mall and I noticed there was a booth completely dedicated to selling Zagg Screen Protectors.

I like my Zagg HD Screen protector but I can’t see my screen through it when I’m outside in the sun or when I’m riding in the car. I decided to seek some advice from the salesman at the Zagg booth. He said, “That’s strange. You shouldn’t have any problem seeing your phone’s screen in the sunlight. Do you have the ‘brightness setting’ on your phone turned up high enough?”

In my mind I thought, “what a ridiculous question. Doesn’t he know who he’s talking to? I’m a Jedi Knight when it comes to technology. After all, Kendall and I had just been in the Apple Store where I was giving her and the Apple store salesperson a lesson on laptops.” I politely followed his request. I clicked on “Settings” and then on “Brightness” and then… “oh my, how embarrassing–how humiliating.” He was right. The “brightness” was turned all the way down. All along I thought Zagg was to blame but it turns out that it was all my fault. The solution was under my nose the entire time.

In Acts 17 the Apostle Paul encountered some people in Athens, Greece who struggled with a similar problem. They were very religious and loved to worship but they were worshiping God in the dark so to speak.

Paul said: “Men of Athens, I perceive that in every way you are very religious. For as I passed along and observed the objects of your worship, I found also an altar with this inscription, ‘To the unknown god.’ What therefore you worship as unknown, this I proclaim to you.”

In a sense Paul was saying that there was no reason for them to continue worshiping in the dark. He went on to tell them that God’s brightness can be seen all around. He said: “The God who made the world and everything in it, being Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in temples made by man, nor is he served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all mankind life and breath and everything. And he made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place, that they should seek God, and perhaps feel their way toward him and find him. Yet he is actually not far from each one of us, for “In him we live and move and have our being” (Acts 17:22-28).

Does God feel far away from you? Do you feel like you are walking around in the dark with regard to your relationship with God? The solution may be under your nose just like it was for the Men of Athens.

As Psalm 19 reminds us, “The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.” This declaration and proclamation about God’s glory and his work goes on every minute of the day in every corner of the world. It’s impossible to escape the brightness of God’s glory and His work.

The God who created Heaven and Earth calls us to come to Him–that we may know Him face to face. That’s not all, He goes to the greatest lengths to make His brightness shine in the darkness of our hearts. God sends His Spirit into our hearts to open the eyes of our hearts that we might know Him face to face.

Jesus is the “Light of the World” who came to shine the light of His salvation into the darkness of our hearts.

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