Candlelight and Cheese 

Living an Abundant Life | By Raymond Schwedhelm

"I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life" John 8:12 (NIV).

There we were, just the two of us. The candles were lit. The table was set. My bride had prepared a wonderful Italian dinner. The sun had set after a long day at work. Now we could just relax and enjoy being together.

Dimly-lit rooms can be both enticing and romantic. They can also hide things from the light of day. That summer evening my wife had prepared linguine with a delicious meat sauce. And, as we both love Parmesan cheese, we piled it on. 

It was all so delicious—a memorable evening!

Only after finishing our meal, with the overhead chandelier on, did we discover that the grated Parmesan we used from the canister had turned blue from mold. It was not pleasing to look at, and we wondered, “What have we done?”

This reminded me that darkness can cover a multitude of sins. Secret societies are dark. So are strip joints, bars, cloakrooms, and every other locality where the Truth is hidden. In the dark, like the spreading tentacles of mold on Parmesan cheese, sin flourishes. Once sin is ingested it can lead to death: greed, pride, envy, lust, sloth, and gluttony, all of which are deadly organisms of a spiritual nature.

The book of Genesis tells us that God created light “and saw that the light was good.”

Jesus said, "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life." What a wonderful assurance; Jesus will reveal the mold in the lives of those who seek after him!

Keeping the light on, by staying fresh in the presence of God’s Word, is the only way we can live an abundant life and be a blessing to others.

Copyright 2013 Raymond Schwedhelm
Palm Beach Gardens, Florida

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