Morning  “And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the

darkness.” / Genesis 1:4

Light might well be good since it sprang from that fiat of goodness, “Let

there be light.” We who enjoy it should be more grateful for it than we are,

and see more of God in it and by it. Light physical is said by Solomon to be

sweet, but gospel light is infinitely more precious, for it reveals eternal

things, and ministers to our immortal natures. When the Holy Spirit gives us

spiritual light, and opens our eyes to behold the glory of God in the face of

Jesus Christ, we behold sin in its true colours, and ourselves in our real

position; we see the Most Holy God as he reveals himself, the plan of mercy as

he propounds it, and the world to come as the Word describes it. Spiritual

light has many beams and prismatic colours, but whether they be knowledge,

joy, holiness, or life, all are divinely good. If the light received be thus

good, what must the essential light be, and how glorious must be the place

where he reveals himself. O Lord, since light is so good, give us more of it,

and more of thyself, the true light.

No sooner is there a good thing in the world, than a division is necessary.

Light and darkness have no communion; God has divided them, let us not

confound them. Sons of light must not have fellowship with deeds, doctrines,

or deceits of darkness. The children of the day must be sober, honest, and

bold in their Lord’s work, leaving the works of darkness to those who shall

dwell in it forever. Our Churches should by discipline divide the light from

the darkness, and we should by our distinct separation from the world do the

same. In judgment, in action, in hearing, in teaching, in association, we must

discern between the precious and the vile, and maintain the great distinction

which the Lord made upon the world’s first day. O Lord Jesus, be thou our

light throughout the whole of this day, for thy light is the light of men.

 

Evening  “And God saw the light.” / Genesis 1:4

This morning we noticed the goodness of the light, and the Lord’s dividing it

from the darkness, we now note the special eye which the Lord had for the

light. “God saw the light”–he looked at it with complacency, gazed upon it

with pleasure, saw that it “was good.” If the Lord has given you light, dear

reader, he looks on that light with peculiar interest; for not only is it dear

to him as his own handiwork, but because it is like himself, for “He is

light.” Pleasant it is to the believer to know that God’s eye is thus tenderly

observant of that work of grace which he has begun. He never loses sight of

the treasure which he has placed in our earthen vessels. Sometimes we cannot

see the light, but God always sees the light, and that is much better than our

seeing it. Better for the judge to see my innocence than for me to think I see

it. It is very comfortable for me to know that I am one of God’s people–but

whether I know it or not, if the Lord knows it, I am still safe. This is the

foundation, “The Lord knoweth them that are his.” You may be sighing and

groaning because of inbred sin, and mourning over your darkness, yet the Lord

sees “light” in your heart, for he has put it there, and all the cloudiness

and gloom of your soul cannot conceal your light from his gracious eye. You

may have sunk low in despondency, and even despair; but if your soul has any

longing towards Christ, and if you are seeking to rest in his finished work,

God sees the “light.” He not only sees it, but he also preserves it in you.

“I, the Lord, do keep it.” This is a precious thought to those who, after

anxious watching and guarding of themselves, feel their own powerlessness to

do so. The light thus preserved by his grace, he will one day develop into the

splendour of noonday, and the fulness of glory. The light within is the dawn

of the eternal day.