Driving In A Fog

“But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost: In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.” (II Corinthians 4:3-4)

This past Sunday, it was foggy outside most all of the day; not just a little fog, but thick like pea soup fog. Warm temperatures combined with lots of snow on the ground made for one of those surreal days when you can’t see much in front of you as you drive down the road. It is not the worst fog I have ever seen. I was in Los Angeles once when the fog was so thick you could barely see the end of the hood of the car. I am not exaggerating. I was on one of their famous freeways when we entered one of those nightmare patches of fog that brought traffic to a standstill. They have stuff like that every once in a while in LA. When you couple the fact that you can’t see another car with the complete morons who ignore that on a freeway, it makes for a rather interesting afternoon. 100 car pile-ups are not uncommon. Between that and the fog, you can literally sit on a freeway for hours with your very life hanging in the balance.

This world we live in is in a fog much thicker than anything you could ever find in LA. The “god of this world” (Satan) has pulled the covers over the eyes of the lost so that they cannot see the truth of the gospel of Jesus Christ. There is a spiritual darkness over this world thick enough to cut with a knife. If you cannot see that, try watching the news for about 30 seconds, or better yet, try talking to someone about faith in the risen Saviour. You will see a glazed over look so strong it will make you wonder if the person you are talking to even speaks your language. Jesus talked about these people in Matthew chapter 13 when he said they, “seeing see not, and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand.” Sound waves reach their eardrums. They acknowledge that the words you spoke were English. But it might as well have been Mandarin Chinese for the response you get. The fog of our enemy has created a spiritual shroud that keeps the truth of the word of God from penetrating the heart for a conversion. What is worse, just like the idiots on the freeways of Los Angeles, they barrel headlong into disaster, oblivious to the dangers of an eternal hell, taking hundreds of others with them in their carnage and ignorance.

So how do we handle such a problem? When you are driving in a fog, the number one safety tip is to turn on your lights. The reason for this is so that the oncoming traffic can see you easier. The lights are not for your benefit. They do not help you see any better, but they are a beacon to others as they head down the road. Some people make the mistake of turning on their “brights” in fog. That usually makes things worse. The fog just bounces the light back in your eyes and makes it harder for you to see. Some Christians think it is their God-ordained role to irritate as many people as they possibly can in the name of Jesus. They scream at the lost and wonder why they can’t see the truth. Our light needs to shine in wisdom. The lost world is moving in the opposite direction from the truth. With Jesus as your Saviour, you are moving toward a home in heaven, and you have the “light of the world” in your life. Others need to see it.

Paul said, “Do all things without murmurings and disputings: That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world; Holding forth the word of life; that I may rejoice in the day of Christ, that I have not run in vain, neither laboured in vain.” (Philippians 2:14-16) As we sing in our Sunday School classes, “This little light of mine, I’m gonna let it shine…” The lost world is plunging head first into an eternal nightmare and abyss called hell. Our light needs to warn them of the danger and make it easy for them to see those who are heading in the opposite direction. That light is not you and your “goodness”. You only shine when you let the true light of the Lord Jesus Christ shine through you.