“Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that”

“How far that little candle throws his beams! So shines a good deed in a weary world.” - ― William Shakespeare, The Merchant of Venice

Gospel Text: (LK 8:16-18)
Jesus said to the crowd:
“No one who lights a lamp conceals it with a vessel
or sets it under a bed;
rather, he places it on a lampstand
so that those who enter may see the light.
For there is nothing hidden that will not become visible,
and nothing secret that will not be known and come to light.
Take care, then, how you hear.
To anyone who has, more will be given,
and from the one who has not,
even what he seems to have will be taken away.

When he turned fifty, folk-music legend Bob Dylan was asked by Rolling Stone magazine if he was happy. He replied, “These are yuppie words, happiness and unhappiness. It’s not happiness or unhappiness; it’s either blessed or unblessed. As the Bible says, ‘Blessed is the man who walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly.’ Now, that must be a happy man. Knowing that you are the person you were put on this Earth to be—that’s much more important than just being happy. Anyway, happiness is just a balloon—it’s just temporary stuff.”

Do you understand how much God wants to bless you? He wants it so much that he died to pour out his blessings. The fruits of his Spirit—things like love, joy, peace, patience, and gentleness—are what make for a truly happy life, and they are what God delights to shower on you. It’s up to you to accept them and to cooperate with his grace. So follow the wise words of Scripture and become a generous, open-hearted receiver of everything God wants to give you!