Verse of the Day - 1 John 1:5-7

This is the message we heard from Jesus and now declare to you: God is light, and there is no darkness in him at all. So we are lying if we say we have fellowship with God but go on living in spiritual darkness; we are not practicing the truth. But if we are living in the light, as God is in the light, then we have fellowship with each other, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, cleanses us from all sin.
~ 1 John 1:5-7 (NLT)

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Last night, some friends and I went to a local community college's production of "Jekyll and Hyde: The Musical". WOW! What a performance! I was just amazed at what this small theatre could accomplish in the way of musical talent, costume and set design, and superb acting. (If you live in the Sacramento area, American River College runs this production through October 26th -- I highly recommend it, though it does have mature themes and violence.)

But what has stuck with me most is the story line. One of my friends last night filled me in on a bit of the history behind Robert Louis Stevenson's novel of the scientist called Dr. Jekyll. In the Victorian era of Stevenson's day, there was much discussion about the source of man's evil and the duality of good and evil in all men, which translated into social hypocrisy...looking good on the outside, but lusting after carnal pleasures on the inside. Jekyll saw this in his own life and attempted, through science, to separate the two, with the noble intent of eradicating evil in the world. Nice try, Dr. Jekyll...unfortunately, Mr. Hyde was not to be so undone as that.

The apostle Paul was very mindful of the duality of man and the struggle between good and evil...

So I have learned this rule: When I want to do good, evil is there with me. In my mind, I am happy with God's law. But I see another law working in my body, which makes war against the law that my mind accepts. That other law working in my body is the law of sin, and it makes me its prisoner. What a miserable man I am! Who will save me from this body that brings me death? I thank God for saving me through Jesus Christ our Lord! ~ Romans 7:21-25 (NLT)

James reminds us that God is light, and in Him, there is no darkness at all. And man is darkness, apart from God, because of sin. So we either walk in the light of His goodness and truth through Jesus Christ, or we slink in the darkness. There is no laboratory elixir that can extract our innate evil. The blood of Christ breaks the chains of sin, but we must make the choice to walk in freedom from it.

In Stevenson's story, the only way to slay the murderous Mr. Hyde was to end Dr. Jekyll's life, since they were of one flesh...

Every day
People, in their own sweet way,
Like to add a coat of paint,
And be what they ain't!
That's how our little -
Game is played,
Livin' like a masquerade
Actin' a bizarre charade -
While playing the saint!

But there's one thing I know,
And I know it for sure:
This disease that we've got
Has got no ready cure!
And I'm certain
Life is terribly hard -
When your life's a façade!
~ from the song Facade (Jekyll and Hyde: The Musical)

Yet, as believers in Jesus, we can put to death the life of darkness and still walk in the light of life...

I was put to death on the cross with Christ, and I do not live anymore—it is Christ who lives in me. I still live in my body, but I live by faith in the Son of God who loved me and gave himself to save me. ~ Galatians 2:20 (NCV)

There is a Jekyll and Hyde in all of us. Trying to pretend they don't exist is ludicrous and futile. But through Jesus Christ, we can step out of the darkness and into His light. It's a choice. It's your choice.

Love,
Joelene