Burned Out

by Bro. Shaun Ogdie
06/01/2023

John 12:35-36a – “Then Jesus said unto them, Yet a little while is the light with you.  Walk while ye have the light, lest darkness come upon you: for he that walketh in darkness knoweth not whither he goeth. While ye have light, believe in the light, that ye may be the children of light.”

Have you ever walked into your house and quickly discovered a burned-out light bulb? Oftentimes, we must blindly find our way to another light or flashlight as we stumble through the house. Of course, once we find a new light bulb, everything is restored, and we are back to normal. Sometimes though, it’s not as simple as a new bulb. At the church, we have fluorescent lights that sometimes require more than a new bulb. On those occasions, we usually have to replace a ballast. That requires turning off the power source to cut all the wires, remove the old ballast, and install the new one. Replacing a powerless light can be as simple as a new bulb or as tough as a new ballast.

Jesus said in John chapter 12, “Walk while ye have the light....”. Have you ever seen someone in your church or family whose spiritual “light” has gone out? Sometimes, it happens just as quickly as a burned-out light bulb. One minute they are here and faithful, the next minute they are gone. Sometimes, there are slow warning signs. Did you know that the new LED light bulbs do not go out immediately like the old ones? Most LED light bulbs will blink when you turn them on if they are getting ready to burn out. Have you ever seen a Christian whose “light” begins to blink? Maybe it begins to blink as they step down from a certain ministry like teaching a class or working a bus route. Perhaps it begins to blink when we can’t make it to choir practice or Wednesday night services anymore. There are many excuses we could give for quitting a ministry in the church, but in reality, it is just the beginning stages of being burned out. I’ve had teachers tell me in the past “I need to take a break.” In every circumstance that I have encountered, those folks are no longer in church.

How do we keep our light from going out? How do we continue to “Walk while ye have light, lest darkness come upon you?”  I can think of no greater outline than the song many of us have known since we were children…“This Little Light of Mine”

1. Let It Shine
Do friends outside of church know that you are a Christian?  How bright does your light shine at work? Verse 36 of chapter 12 says “…that ye may be the children of light.”

2. Let It Shine Till Jesus Comes
Galatians 6:9, "And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not."

3. Don’t Let Satan Blow It Out
The devil and this old world want to steal your joy.  They want to dim the light of all Christians.  It’s time we take a stand against the wicked of this old world.  We cannot do that by being in both places at the same time. Matthew 6:24 says, “No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon."

May the Lord help us to correct our ways when our light begins to blink.  When the warning signs come about that our light is going out, we need to be close enough to the Lord that we can fix it at any moment.

I’ve been in those moments when my light went out completely. Unfortunately, I’ve also been in those moments when it required more detailed repairs like that ballast.  My prayer is that we all will continue to “Walk while ye have the light.” John 12:35.