If you’ve ever had a garden, you’ve probably noticed that many plant varieties are phototropic, which means that they’re light seeking. The plants lean toward the sun as they grow. Some are heliotropic – a specific kind of phototropism – meaning that they bend or shake to track the sun’s movement during the day and maximize each plant’s exposure to the sun. Sunflowers are an especially good example.
Light is central to God’s creation. On the first day of creation, after creating the heavens and the earth, he made light and darkness. On the fourth day of creation, he made the celestial bodies to govern the various cycles of light and dark, as well as seasonal changes.
Light is central to God’s moral creation. The apostle John said, “God is light, and in him is no darkness at all” (1 John 1.5). The psalmist understood God as the source of all light: “For with You is the fountain of life; in Your light we see light” (Psalm 36.9). God doesn’t just provide light, he is light.
If God is light, it shouldn’t surprise us that his moral light is necessary for spiritual growth. Just as plants need light to survive and thrive, we need God’s light to be spiritually healthy. Sometimes his light is for illumination (Psalm 18.28; 119.130). Sometimes it’s for guidance (Psalm 43.3; 1 John 1.7). Sometimes it symbolizes blessing (Psalm 4.6). Sometimes it represents moral purity and righteousness (Psalm 112.4; Ephesians 5.8-9). Sometimes it’s the opposite of moral darkness (Romans 13.12; Ephesians 5.8-9, 13; 1 Peter 2.9). The concept covers a lot of territory in the Scriptures.
But the critical point for believers is that we must always seek the light. Yes, we need light to survive, but we must seek it. Plants do this because they’re programmed to do it. Humans, on the other hand, have a choice.
Most people are familiar with the great affirmation of God’s love in John 3.16. But the verses that follow are equally important, because they explain what it means to believe and receive the promise of eternal life. “This is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil. For everyone who does evil hates the Light, and does not come to the Light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. But he who practices the truth comes to the Light, so that his deeds may be manifested as having been wrought in God.” (John 3.19-21).
Do I hate darkness enough to seek the light? Do I love the light enough to expose myself to its penetrating power? Do I love God enough to seek his truth, practice it, and accept his judgments about my way of life?
These are questions we all need to ask.