Dimming the Light?

Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world. [...] Little children, you are from God and have overcome them, for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world. They are from the world; therefore they speak from the world, and the world listens to them. We are from God. Whoever knows God listens to us; whoever is not from God does not listen to us. 

1 John 4:1 & 4-6

I find dimmer lights fascinating. I tend to analyze a lot of things, and that seems to be one of them. I can't seem to understand how a lightbulb, something so... simple... can produce such an interesting and actually complex system. But ya know, I never understood why you needed them. What sense does it make to dim the lights? I mean, I see some aesthetic differences, but practically??? It's absolutely pointless. But go to your local Outback Steakhouse on any given evening right about 6 or 7, and you'll see them change the "ambiance". It's like they think it attracts more people, and pleases people... But does it? 

Sometimes I think we scream so much for relevancy in our day and age. But I have to say, a lot of times I don't agree. Sure, I like my upbeat worship songs, and being able to wear pants to church. But I think that sometimes in our search to be relevant, we have lost our search to be Christ-like. Whoever knows God listens to us; whoever is not from God does not listen to us. Have some of us seemingly lost our edge? Have we simply said, "in order to reach them, I will be like them"? It ties into what I realized last night. NO! THAT IS NOT THE CASE! If we love God, it is not out of obligation that we become "aliens" or "strangers" to what this world has to offer. Our love for God compels us to be LIKE Him. Am I saying don't evangelize, or try to win people for Him? ABSOLUTELY, POSITIVELY NOT! I'm just saying that a lot of us will do a lot better just letting Christ's love and light shine through us, rather than us just trying to be like them. 

We're called to put light into the darkness, not adjust the light so everyone's happy.