In The Light

This week in chapel I walked students through the origin and journey of the Christian band DC Talk. Toby McKeehan (Toby Mac), Michael Tait (Newsboys), and Kevin Max first became friends in the 1980’s attending Liberty University together. Releasing their first album in 1989, their fourth album “Jesus Freak” released in 1995 truly made them a household name among Christians. Believe it or not, many of these songs are readily available on YouTube for you nostalgic DC Talk lovers. I have long since discarded my pile of DC Talk cassette tapes. 

On that same 1995 album was a track titled “In the Light.” The catchy chorus goes like this:
I wanna be in the Light as you are in the light
I wanna shine like the stars in the heavens
Oh, Lord, be my light and be my salvation
'Cause all I want is to be in the light
All I want is to be in the light

This song was certainly inspired by 1 John 1:5-10. The apostle John outlines how God is light and in Him is no darkness at all. Even more impressive is the truth that God is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness! But the fine print of this passage provides an even deeper meaning. We are called to walk in the light rather than the darkness. In fact, our salvation is dependent on the path we choose to take.

Fortunately, walking in the light is not about being perfect. Only God is perfect. His perfect holiness is a light to our path, providing the best plan on this broken planet. Walking in the light is not only believing in Jesus as our Savior, but also surrendering our lives to him as our Lord. To walk in the light is to demote ourselves from being the ruler of our life and place our full trust in the sovereignty of God. This type of surrender can be scary at times, but the alternative is much more bleak. Jesus came to bring life, and letting Him be in charge brings us abundant life!

To borrow from DC Talk’s “In the Light,” the powerful lyrics explain:
I keep trying to find a life
On my own, apart from you
I am the king of excuses
I've got one for every selfish thing I do
What's going on inside of me?
I despise my own behavior
This only serves to confirm my suspicions
That I'm still a man in need of a savior
There's no other place I want to be
Oh, You are in the light
That's where I need to be
Oh, that's right where I need to be.