Sun, Moon, Jesus

On January 30, 2017   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Isaiah 60: 19

No longer will you have the sun for light by day, nor for brightness will the moon give you light; but you will have the Lord for an everlasting light, and your God for your glory.

Your sun will set no more, neither will your moon wane; for you will have the Lord for an everlasting light, and the days of your mourning will be finished.

I love the book of Isaiah. I am definitely going to look up Isaiah when I get to heaven and tell him how much I enjoyed his book and how much he helped my life. Isaiah saw Jesus. He had a revelation of his coming unlike anyone else in the Old Testament. Jesus said, “I am the Light of the world; he who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life” (John 8: 12). That is what Isaiah told people. One is coming, he share, who is brighter than the sun, whose light will never fade.

When God speaks, it is sometimes difficult for us to take in the fullness of his communication. Is this passage by Isaiah and statement of Jesus purely metaphorical? If it is, it is good enough. Jesus is the light which lights your life. I don’t doubt if you met Jesus in person, though, that he would be a bright radiant light. In heaven there is no darkness ever because the sun is the light.

I think these two passages of scripture are as big as you believe them to be. I believe Jesus’ light is also life and it glows within you bringing you health and well-being. Could he really light a dark alley for you. If you need it, then yes. Isaiah saw Jesus and saw his radiance. He saw that the sun and moon were no longer the light sources upon which we would depend. Jesus is the light which fuels the sun; he is the everlasting. I guess that means that the son fuels the sun.

Am I suggesting that you no longer need light bulbs in your house? Well . . . I am not there yet, but were you to believe big enough, maybe so. What I really want to share with you today is Isaiah. I don’t know what he saw but he saw something magnificent. We too can live in the kind of revelation he did. Also, through his words, we may see Jesus more clearly. We may even see ourselves more clearly. What mysteries are revealed to us through Isaiah and the other writers of the Bible when we pause and let the light shine on us? I am ready for us all to see “all truth” and be inspired by the glory of the Lord.

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Follow the Light

On September 21, 2016   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Psalm 18: 28

For Thou dost light my lamp; the Lord my God illumines my darkness.

It is nice to know that the Lord is your light in dark times. No matter how tumultuous the situation nor how bleak the horizon, God is your ever present light shedding illumination on your path. You do not have to remain in the darkness. His light will lead you out.

His light reveals the wisdom and knowledge for every circumstance. It is the key idea which launches your project or saves you valuable time. It is the beacon that attracts the right people at the right time. It is the insight to the best decision. It is even light and life to your body.

Let your Father be the lamp unto your feet. Just follow the light.

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The Result

On July 7, 2016   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Isaiah 58: 8

Then your light will break out like the dawn, and your recovery will speedily spring forth; and your righteousness will go before you; the glory of the Lord will be your rear guard.

Do you want to know what precedes the above? What comes before your light breaking out like the dawn? It is verses 6 and 7 which were from yesterday, doing for others. God does not ask you to do things for others for their sake only. He is trying to get something to you. God knows the law of sowing and reaping. He knows it is the principle by which he created the earth. He also knows if he can get us to sow a little seed, he can make it grow into a glorious dawn. Think of what the light of dawn is like. Have you seen a dawn recently? It is glorious. Moreover, it cannot be held back. It lights the earth as far as you can see and beyond. That is how God wants your light to be. Your righteousness, which you have in Christ Jesus, will go before you and God is going to bring up the rear. How glorious is that really? In the middle is everything you need and more than you can think or ask. God wants to sandwich you in His goodness and he is showing you how to enable Him to do just that. Give and it shall be given unto you (Luke 6: 38).
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Light

On November 27, 2015   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Ephesians 5: 9      God’s word translation

Light produces everything that is good, that has God’s approval, and that is true.

Here is another verse on God’s goodness, His inherent goodness. We cannot look too often at verses which show God’s essential nature. So often people confuse God’s acts with the corruption of this world. It really bothers me because I know His heart, I sometimes feel His heart and He really is kindness, goodness and love. Everything He does, everything He feels is based in His enormous love for us.

There is an expression related to insurance that is so inappropriate but shows clearly how we think of the situations of the world. People talk about an “act of God.” They might be referring to a tree falling on your house because of a “natural” cause. First of all, we need to understand that the idea of “natural law” is a fairly new concept, especially in view of God’s life time. What is natural isn’t necessarily Godly. There is no direct relationship between “natural” and Godly. Remember that we are not of this world (John 15: 19). Jesus’ kingdom is not of this world (John 18: 36). Jesus’ said that his kingdom was not in this realm so we should not judge God or Jesus by this realm. This world has pain in it and has been corrupted by the malevolence which is in the earth.

Everything good is of God. Everything of God is good. If a thing is not good, then it is not of God. Jesus is the light (John 8: 12) and light produces that which is good. Light produces that which is approved by God and that which is true. Everything in Christ Jesus is good, approved of God and true. Conversely, everything bad is apart from God and His son Jesus. This is the message for your own heart as well as the evangelical truth. We minister according to goodness and love. If we minister from any other motivation then we do not minister according to God. This is the truth of the gospel, that God so loved that He sent goodness into the earth; into an earth that was broken and corrupted by evil God sent light and love. Whenever there is hurt and darkness in your own life, understand that God is not the source of that but that He will, if invited, rush in to bring life, light, love and healing. When others are hurting, this is the truth they need. God is good, His every expression is of goodness.

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Shine On

On November 13, 2015   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Isaiah 60: 1

Arise, shine; for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you.

Yahoo! That is my commentary, Yahoo! I love seeing the good news of the Lord and this verse is light in a dark place (all puns intended). Look at verse 2: “For behold, darkness will cover the earth, and deep darkness the peoples; but the Lord will rise upon you, and His glory will appear upon you.” Dare I say it again? Yahoo! Isn’t that “Sonshine”? Remember the verse from Monday? It was Proverb 4: 18 and I titled it “Sunshine”. Look at God confirming His word to you today.

Though darkness fill the earth, light shines on the children of God. Yea! Jesus fulfilled and confirmed this. Behold his words, “Then Jesus again spoke to them, saying, “I am the Light of the world; he who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life” (John 8: 12). Isn’t that what Isaiah wrote? Isn’t that what Solomon conveyed in Proverb 4: 18? Do you think God is trying to get a point across? I think He wants us to realize that even when there are clouds on the horizon and our view is bleak He is still the radiance of love, compassion, help, and all else shining on us. His love is warmth on our shoulders. His glory is our crown covering us from the head down. 

Your light has come, glory to God. He is the Lord Jesus Christ and you need his light shining through the darkness. Though the world may be cloaked in darkness, Jesus is light for his beloved. Don’t live in darkness, don’t let that cloud remain. Shout because our Lord breaks through all and shines his glory on us. Praise his name!

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Live in the Light

On July 31, 2015   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

John 8: 12

Again therefore Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world; he who follows Me shall not walk in the darkness, but shall have the light of life.”

Recently another minister and I were to teach on the spiritual realm and believers’ participation therein. We discussed many aspects of the integration of our lives beyond the physical realm. Of course a part of that conversation dealt with communion with the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. The scripture says that God is spirit (John 4: 24). Therefore, if we are to commune with God we must engage the spiritual realm. That’s pretty simple logic isn’t it?

The next part of the discussion had to do with angels. Do you know that angels are real beings? They, of course, are spiritual beings, i.e. they are spirits. Well, no big deal there, we are too. Our essential self and that which will never perish is our spirit. The conclusion was that we should certainly be able to recognize angels and the role they play in our everyday life.

Invariably a discussion about angels leads to a discussion about demons. Demons are very real also. They interact with human beings and have throughout human history. Some people deny their existence, some people are afraid of them. Both are inappropriate responses and I imagine that the truth is that those who deny the existence of demons are in truth just afraid and too overcome to admit it. There is no reason for us to fear though. Jesus has overcome all of the powers of darkness. That is part of the good news of the gospel. Fear not!

There is another group of Christians though. These are the ones that obsess on demons and demonology. They see demons everywhere and behind everything. We know by now that balance is always supposed to be a key factor. Any time we are overly involved in any one aspect of life there is probably a balance issue. Here is what this other minister and I discovered as we dialogued. We decided not to discuss demons at all in the soon to follow talk. The reason is that we have discovered that hanging out in the light means that we won’t have to deal as much with the darkness. In other words, when we focus our attention and intention on the light, i.e. Jesus, we do not have to spend as much time fighting demons. They flee from us because they cannot bear the light. If we abide in Christ and he abides in us then we become like a sun storm in the darkness. 

Satan’s forces recognize Jesus. That was evident in the New Testament gospels. When, therefore, we don Jesus as I have been encouraging you to do, you will find that there are fewer issues with pestering demons. I do want to say, though, that there are times when demons have to be dealt with and we are well able to do that. The gospels show us the way. Also, there are people whose ministries specialize in demonology. They have an anointing and calling for that service and we are glad to have them in the body of Christ. For most of us though, we just need to bathe in the light. Jesus’ brother, James, gave us the key to living in a world populated with evil, “Submit therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you” (James 4: 7). Resist evil and it will flee but don’t ignore the first part of the prescription, submit to God. If we pitch our tents in the throne room of God and spend time communing with our father, then we will have little worry or trouble from the pawns of evil.

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Glorious Countenance

On June 23, 2015   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Psalm 119: 135

Make Thy face shine upon Thy servant.

This is my prayer today and I hope it is yours as well. There is something so simple and yet so holy and intimate about this little phrase. It has captured my heart today as if there are no other words to say in the universe. What prayer shall I utter which can eclipse the sweetness of this petition? What prayer is more powerful than the simplicity of a heart yearning for the eyes of God’s beholding?

Lift up mine eyes, O Lord, that I may behold your glory, the glory which was yours in the beginning and shine your glorious light upon my countenance that I may reflect the beauty of your love, the beauty of your grace. 

Look upon me Lord with favor. Let me find favor in your sight and in the eyes of every person. Let your light so shine that all will know that there is a god in heaven, the one God, Yahweh: father, creator, lover of my soul.

Allow me to be a blessing to all I encounter. Pour through me the abundant generosity of your soul. Let all see that you are a god of great kindness. Shower upon me, precious Lord, the truth of who you are. Let me know you as you truly are and make me a disciple of faith. 

And Father, I pray that your love and grace will fall like a blanket of light on every person who reads these words and that your eyes will behold them in the embrace of your great affection. Let your light rest upon them and keep them. Amen.

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