“… you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light” Ephesians 5:8 (NIV) Many times in the Apostles’ letters, a contrast is made between the past and the present life of the true believer. In today’s text, for example, Paul reminded the believers that, they were once darkness, but now they were light in Christ. Before anyone becomes a Christian, he/she is in Satan’s kingdom of darkness. But when that person receives Jesus as the Savior, he/she is brought into the kingdom of light (Colossians 1:13). As citizens of the kingdom of light, Christians are commanded: “Live as children of light.” This kind of living involves doing what is good, right and true. In short, it calls for doing what pleases the Lord. It requires saying ‘No’ to the deeds of darkness such as fornication, adultery, lying, stealing, corruption, cheating, malice, deception, etc. These are improper for the children of light. Anyone who claims to be a Christian but engages in the deeds of darkness is a liar. This is what the Word of God declares in 1 John 1:5-6: “God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. If we claim to have fellowship with him, yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth.” We need to live as children of light by walking in the light. Are you walking in the light or darkness? Can people close to you still point to deeds of darkness in your life? Meditation and Prayer: Lord, free me from the deeds of darkness and empower me to live as a child of light. Further Reading: Galatians 5:19-23; Colossians 3:5-14; Ephesians 4:17-32. Key Lesson: Christians are now light and must therefore live as children of light.