Love In The Light Series

BOAT STORY PART 2

The man in his boat is just about to head home from work. Unfortunately, his job at the local market was on one side of town and his home with his family was on the complete opposite side of town. He had to make his way through all the canals home as quick as he could. He lit the lamp on the front of his boat and set off into the canal. He pushed off with a long oar and began to make his way down the canal. In his boat was a box of supplies for his neighbor, some groceries for his family, and himself. He and the stuff took up some of the room in the boat, but not all of it.

As he made his way down the canal, he could see about twenty feet from the lamp in all directions. It was shining well. He passed out of the market area into where some houses were. The light revealed a man walking on the right side on a walk way.

“Hey there!” the man on the walk called out.

“Hey there!” the man in the boat called back.

“Hey can you spare some room in your boat for me? I need a ride down the canal.”

“I cannot. I am on my way home. There is no room.” The man in the boat knew there was no reason to deny the man, but it was an inconvenience. That there was no room in the boat was a lie. There was room for at least one or two if they sat correctly. As soon as he passed the man, the lamp at the front of his boat dimmed. Where he could once see twenty feet from the lamp, he could now see less. The darkness crept closer to his boat.

The man in the boat continued down the canal towards his home. Further down the canal he could see a faint glowing. It looked like some kind of collection of lights. As he got closer, he noticed it was a fire. A house was on fire! That was awful. There was a string of people with buckets from the canal all the way to the house. They had formed a chain to fight the fire. Bucket after bucket of water was being dumped into the house. He could see flames and smoke. He could see they needed more hands and help. The man decided to head home instead of stop and help. As soon as he passed the fire brigade, the lamp at the front of his boat dimmed. Where he could once see twenty feet from the lamp, he could barely see what was in front of him. The lamp was barely shining. The light from his boat lit almost nothing. The darkness crept closer to his boat and almost overtook him.

READ 1 JOHN 2:12-14

I write to you, dear children, because your sins have been forgiven on account of his name. 13 I write to you, fathers, because you have known him who is from the beginning. I write to you, young men, because you have overcome the evil one. I write to you, dear children, because you have known the Father. 14 I write to you, fathers, because you have known him who is from the beginning. I write to you, young men, because you are strong, and the word of God lives in you, and you have overcome the evil one.

II. PASSING FROM DARKNESS TO LIGHT (VERSES 12-14)

The Apostle John knows that life is divided into dark and light. Darkness is sin and evil. Light is goodness and righteousness. The passage that we are reading is written to people who are already believers. Verses 12-14 tell us that plainly. The passage is written to people who have passed out of a life of darkness and sin and into a life of light and godliness. John describes us to ourselves that we might be encouraged to follow wholeheartedly after God. He wants to encourage us that we have the power and the ability to live life in the light.