06/17/2026
Chasing Shadows: Why We Run From the Light That Pursues Us
During meditation today, I confronted the heavy reality of darkness and light from God's perspective. Darkness isn't just a void; it is an active, evil posture toward the Creator. It is a state completely devoid of relationship and hope, blindly marching toward an inconceivable, permanent dark. As Proverbs 4:19 warns, "The way of the wicked is like deep darkness; they do not know what makes them stumble." This is the tragic destiny for those who reject sacrificial love and atoning justification. They disrespect the Creator by worshiping human imagination, fleeting philosophies, and perishing idols—loving the creation rather than the Creator. They forget the truth of 1 John 2:17: "The world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever." By chasing what is perishing, they choose to perish into the outer darkness, where they will eventually meet evil face-to-face.
In beautiful contrast stands the God who sacrificed His only Son to grant us a fruitful, loving, intimate, and eternal life. This is the heartbeat of John 3:16, ensuring that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. By His very nature, light pursues darkness, and darkness runs every time. As John 1:5 declares, "The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it." The great mystery I am left wrestling with today is the tragic irony of the human condition: why do we so easily chase after what is running away—the fleeting shadows of this world—instead of running toward the One who is illuminating? We ignore the light that pursues us to hunt the darkness that flees from us. I need to examine my own heart and identify the "idols of imagination" that try to pull me back into the shadows.
Pastor James Sutton II