Keepers of the Light

 

    

    

    

    

    

Isa 9:2

 

2 The people who walked in darkness

Have seen a great light;

Those who dwelt in the land of the shadow of death,

Upon them a light has shined.

NKJV

 

Darkness.  It is the pervasive theme in our society.  It is found in movies, literature, toys and TV shows.  Our culture is obsessed with darkness.  Dark forces; dark, twisted serial killers; garbled voices and shadowy spirits, it is the bread and butter of our entertainment industry. 

 

This passage of Scripture refers to a people walking in darkness.  Is there a generation that this is more true of than our own? But thank the Lord, the story does not end in foreboding darkness, but  rather we see the darkness as a backdrop to showcase the brilliant Light that has come.

 

When Jesus was born, the Father chose to herald His birth with a star, a new light source, hanging in the heavens for all to see. Jesus  was the light that was so desperately needed in His day, and He continues to be the origin of all light today.  Without Him, our life is cloaked in  darkness.

 

This time of year, I so enjoy watching the Christmas lights twinkling on the trees, on the houses, and businesses in town.  People drive quite a distance to look at a beautiful display of lights.  We are intrigued by the luminosity and we gain hope from it.

 

No matter how dark your life has been, Jesus is  shining His light into your darkness.  Drugs?  Alcohol? Promiscuity?  Witchcraft?  None is so dark that He cannot penetrate it and shed His glorious light into the situation.  Even if you are "dwelling in the land of the shadow of death" the light shines brightly above you, beckoning you to draw near and allow Him to push back your darkness.

 

Jesus, indeed, is the Light of the World.  But we, as believers, are the body of Christ.  We are still on Earth and there is still a lot of shining to do.  The pervasive darkness is stifling, but we cannot allow it to snuff out our light.  We have to abstain from darkness in all that we do in order to preserve the pure light of His presence.  A Christian cannot engage in role playing games of darkness; evil videos games; demonic movies and pornography of any sort.  What fellowship does light have with darkness?  We  cannot compromise our heart, our testimony, our spirit or our world.  He is light, and we must be keepers of the light.

 
Dear Lord, you see the darkness that has fallen on the Earth. Help me to shield my heart from any dark influence.  Saturate me, Lord, with the light of your presence.  Reflect Your brilliance in me.  In Name.  Amen.

 

 

 

Light Loving

 

“My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin.  But if anybody does sin, we have one who speaks to the Father in our defense- Jesus Christ, the righteous One.  He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but for the sins of the whole world.  We know that we have come to know him if we obey his commands.  The man who says, “I know him,” but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in him.  But if anyone obeys his word, God’s love is truly made complete in him. This is how we know we are in him:  Whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did. Dear friends, I am not writing you a new command but an old one, which you have had since the beginning.  The old command is the message you have heard.  Yet I am writing you a new command; its truth is seen in him and you, because the darkness is passing and the true light is already shining.  Anyone who claims to be in the light but hates his brother is still in the darkness. Whoever loves his brother lives in the light, and there is nothing in him to make him stumble.” I John 2:1-10

“I would love ministry (social work) more if I did not have to deal with people.”  This is a joke that I have heard many people say, with their own adaptions.   The irony being that without people with needs there is no ministry or social work.  But dealing with people is messy business!  People with needs can be angry, rude, hostile and downright aggravating.  The world is full of evil and disrespect which challenges our best intentions and patience.

But can we be brutally honest here?  Non-Christians are not the only aggravating people.  Christians can be just as (if not more) mean and hard to deal with as sinners.  Why is that?  People are just people.  We all have our own set of idiosyncrasies, pet peeves, weaknesses and obnoxious ways.  Our carnal, or natural, disposition leans towards selfishness and unloving traits.

But how can we not love our brother for whom Jesus died, and still love Jesus?  We cannot.  If we love, it keeps us out of darkness and in his light.  As we grumble, criticize and gossip about our brother or sister, we begin a descent onto a dark path.  But as we love and cover over the weaknesses of others, it keeps us in the light. 

Walking in the darkness is a challenge and a hazard.  Living in the country, I am always concerned that I might step on a snake in the darkness.  I am afraid there may be holes, or toys left in the yard that will cause me to twist my ankle and fall.  We can guard against spiritual potholes and snakes by simply remaining in the light in thought and in conversation.

Our words indicate the condition of our heart.  If we are speaking loving words, that is indicative of a heart full of love and light.  If we speak unmercifully, we open our heart and lives to darkness.  That type of darkness does not make the aggravating person stumble.  It causes us to stumble!  It is a foolish thing to turn out the light on ourselves…

Dear Lord, help me walk in love toward my brothers and sisters in Christ.  Help me to remember I am as guilty and unlovely as any of them.  Thank you for your mercy that covers me and help me to walk in mercy toward others.  In Jesus’ Name.  Amen.

Sherri

Don't Be Hating

 

"My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin.  But if anybody does sin, we have one who speaks to the Father in our defense- Jesus Christ, the righteous One.  He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but for the sins of the whole world.  We know that we have come to know him if we obey his commands.  The man who says, “I know him,” but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in him.  But if anyone obeys his word, God’s love is truly made complete in him. This is how we know we are in him:  Whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did. Dear friends, I am not writing you a new command but an old one, which you have had since the beginning.  The old command is the message you have heard.  Yet I am writing you a new command; its truth is seen in him and you, because the darkness is passing and the true light is already shining.  Anyone who claims to be in the light but hates his brother is still in the darkness.” I John 2:1-8

 

Emotions are fickle things.  We love someone, and then we hate them.  It is amazing how our emotions can run from hot to cold.  So often we put the word hate on strong emotions of anger. Regardless of how we come to these negative emotions, we have to guard against them.

At times we feel like we love God, but hate some people in our lives.  But it does not work that way.  The Bible is plain that we cannot hate someone whom we have seen but love a God we have never seen.  (I John 4:19-20)  If we do not love our brother, then we are not walking in the light.  God is love, and if we are walking in him, then we must walk in love as well.  No matter how someone hurts us, offends us or betrays us, we must guard against allowing our offence to deepen to hatred.

If we truly believe that God loves us, we can trust him to ultimately defend and avenge us.  If we are waiting on him to be our defense, it is much easier to let go of anger we have toward someone else.  Often we clutch bitterness and hatred to ourselves as if it protects us from further hurt.  But what we are honestly doing is exalting ourselves to the place of God, casting judgment and exacting revenge.

No matter how closely we walk to God, we never reach a place that we do not have to guard against negative emotions. We are all tempted to allow sin to creep in.  We cannot sail through life without being hurt, but we can decide in advance to deny bitterness the right to remain in our heart.

Dear Lord, please help me to trust in you to protect me in relationships.  Help me to guard against the negative emotions I am feeling.  I need your grace and strength to stay in love and light. In Jesus’ Name.  Amen.

Sherri

The Night Light

 

 

 

“My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin.  But if anybody does sin, we have one who speaks to the Father in our defense- Jesus Christ, the righteous One.  He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but for the sins of the whole world.  We know that we have come to know him if we obey his commands.  The man who says, “I know him,” but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in him.  But if anyone obeys his word, God’s love is truly made complete in him. This is how we know we are in him:  Whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did. Dear friends, I am not writing you a new command but an old one, which you have had since the beginning.  The old command is the message you have heard.  Yet I am writing you a new command; its truth is seen in him and you, because the darkness is passing and the true light is already shining.” I John 2:1-8

 

Once, as a nineteen-year-old newlywed, I came home to a dark house.  The power was off everywhere in our town.  My husband did not get home until 11:30 p.m. and it was a little before eleven.  I told myself I could be a big girl and went inside.  The darkness was so pervasive though, I began to feel creeped out by it. There were no streetlights.  No little lights on the coffee pot.  Nothing!  The darkness felt like a presence.  It was as if someone was lurking in the shadows.  After finding a flashlight I got up the nerve to flee next door to my in-laws house. I let myself in and everything was just as dark there.  I began to yell out and call their names, but no one ever answered.  By then I had myself convinced a serial killer had killed all of them and was pressing in to grab me as well.  I jumped back in my car and locked the doors (like people on scary movies never think to do) and raced back into town.  It was the dark ages then (before cell phones) so I hurried to a pay phone and called my mother.  I stayed on the phone with her until all the spookiness faded.  (The next day my in-laws had a good laugh at my expense, but thankfully they were all alive and well.)

Darkness is frightening.  It is overpowering and it limits you.  Thank God the light has come!  His name is Jesus and he can shine his light into the furthest reaches of our soul.  He illuminates sin as well as truth.  So many people are wandering in darkness.  We have to be willing to let our light so shine, that people can find Jesus in the middle of their darkest hour.  In the dark you can run into things, stump your toe, trip and fall.  There are so many hazards in the darkness.  Things that will not harm you at all in daylight can cause major damage at night.

Begin to crave the light.  Avoid the darkness of this world.  Pray to be a light in your family and in your community.  The true light is shining!  Let us step into the light!

Dear Lord, thank you for driving away the darkness of my soul.  Help others to see you shining in me.  In Jesus’ Name.  Amen.

Sherri

 

Black Out

 

 

That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched- this we proclaim concerning the Word of life.  The life appeared; we have seen it and testify to it, and we proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and has appeared to us. We proclaim what we have seen and heard, so that you may have fellowship with us.  And our fellowship is with the Father and with his son, Jesus Christ.  We write this to make our joy complete.  This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light and in him is no darkness at all.  If we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth.  I John 1:1-5

 

Ouch.  Today’s verse is a very sobering verse.  If we name the name of Christ- say we are a Christian, we have got to be a Christian.  100%.  If we play with sin, compromise with the world, we are then liars.  This is the Bible-not my words.

Now understand that elsewhere in Scripture it is obvious that we all fail in many ways and when we do, Jesus advocates to the Father on our behalf. We will never know this side of heaven how much mercy God extended to us in our day in/day out shortcomings and failures.  I believe what this verse is talking about is what we call a hypocrite- the person who says one thing but does another.  This is the person sitting on a church pew three times per week but is having an affair with the secretary.  This is the person who claims to be a Christian, but lies on their taxes.  This is a person who smiles to your face, yet stabs you in the back.

The easiest way to describe this is to picture a split TV screen.  On the left it is pitch black with no picture.  On the right is pure blinding light.  If we are walking with Jesus, our character is only ever on the right screen, never on the left one.  All of our dealings, habits, thoughts, and words (to the best we are able) are done in the light of the truth and in accord with the way Jesus lives.  If our character is making frequent guest appearances on the screen on the left, we have a problem.  You have to pick a team.  You cannot play for two different teams.  You are either a Seminole or a Gator.  An Alabama fan or an Auburn fan.  You are for Jesus, or you are against Jesus.

Every decision we make, in essence, is voting for a team.  It is aligning ourselves with one side or the other.  That is why we cannot afford to live sloppily, readily making alliances with the enemy of our soul.

Is there any darkness in your life?  In what you watch, where you go, what you read, what you listen to, who you spend time with?  If so, step into the light in these areas today!

Dear Lord, show me where there is darkness in my life.  Help me to walk in your light and live a consistent Christian witness.  In Jesus’ Name.  Amen.

Sherri

 

Shades of Gray

 

 

“That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched- this we proclaim concerning the Word of life.  The life appeared; we have seen it and testify to it, and we proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and has appeared to us. We proclaim what we have seen and heard, so that you may have fellowship with us.  And our fellowship is with the Father and with his son, Jesus Christ.  We write this to make our joy complete.  This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light and in him is no darkness at all.  I John 1:1-5

 

Shades of gray. 

Some things are black and white, others are gray areas.  Is it a lie to tell someone you like their hideous new hairdo?  Is it stealing if you find and keep a wallet with no ID in it?  When you are married is it OK to “look but don’t touch” other women/men?

The world would have you to believe that there are very few absolutes in this world.  Everything is relative.  In fact, that saying has been made into a slogan of sorts.  But is everything relative?  Is it really?

This passage makes it plain that God is absolute light.  There is no darkness; no shadow; now shades of gray.  He is pure, blinding light.  He is altogether glorious, marvelous and beautiful.  As children of God we are called to become more and more like him.  Compromising with the world, adding a dab of darkness here and there, will not really cut it.

Our world is increasingly dark.  The last twenty years has shown a huge moral decline.  The last 50 years shows an even greater contrast.  At one time, sex outside of marriage was a sin and a shame.  Then, it was acceptable if you were in a committed relationship leading to marriage.  Then it was OK if you were dating.  Then it was Ok if both of you were willing, no matter what.  What a huge paradigm shift!  Meanwhile, the truth of the Word of God remains absolute.  Sex outside of marriage?  Sin.  Always has been; always will.  This is just one example, but this can be applied in so many ways.  Do you remember when a handshake and someone’s word was absolute?  Do you remember when people approached little old ladies to help them across the street, rather than to rob them?

Indeed darkness has come to America.  Can you watch a single sitcom or drama that does not display darkness in some form?  Crude and coarse joking, inappropriate dress, blasphemy, taking the Lord’s name in vain.  These things are common, everyday occurrences.  They are the social norm of 21^st Century America.

But the Great I Am- Who is and Who was and Who is to come.  He changes not.  He is absolute light.  And if we want to have fellowship with him, we will have to acknowledge and respect his holiness.

O Lord, please keep me from the darkness of this world.  Help me to be like you.  Help me never to forget who you are or to view you differently than the Bible says you are.  In Jesus’ name.  Amen.

Sherri

Pure Light

“To the pure, all things are pure, but to those who are corrupted and do not believe, nothing is pure.”  Titus 1:15

 

Dictionary.com defines pure as:  “Free from anything of a different, inferior or contaminating kind.”  So what would that entail for a person to be described as pure?  It means that as a born-again child of God, we do not have a mixture of carnality, worldliness or evil mixed with the Spirit of Christ who dwells in us.  It means that we keep ourselves from influences that corrupt or pollute our spirit.  Sounds easy enough, right?!

If you have been around the block for even a week, you know that it is a most difficult process to keep your soul and mind pure while living in such a corrupt society.  Even one generation ago the overall morality of our culture was at a much higher standard than it is now.  The truest gauge is probably found in our media- what we see on TV, in print, and what we hear in lyrics.  As they say, we are going down like a lead balloon.  It is difficult to unplug from these influences, even if the only contact you have with the world is at the grocery store, school and work.

But we were not left on earth to withdraw and unplug.  We were left to share the good news, lead others to Christ and be salt and light!  So how do we remain pure in the middle of everything impure?  I have heard many an inspiring message on the analogy of the Christian to the eagle.  At the end of the day, the eagle cleans its wings, carefully removing all the trash and filth that it has acquired through its journey through the environment that day.  Likewise, we must take time each day to repent, confess and purify our hearts and minds.  We must submit ourselves to the “washing of the water with the Word”, by staying steadfast in the Bible.

Because sexual immorality, coarse jesting and immodesty have become so prevalent, we have our work cut out for us to help guard the purity of the hearts of our children.  Our society is completely sexualized.  If we do not take a stand, be different and stand for what is right, who will?  How will a lost and dying world ever see Jesus in us if we look and act like everyone else?

Dear Lord, create a pure heart in me.  Wash away all that is corrupt and help me stand out as light in the darkness. In Jesus’ Name.  Amen.

Sherri

Are You Read for the Groom? ( Part I)

“At that time the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom.  Five of them were foolish and five were wise.  The foolish ones took their lamps but did not take any oil with them.  The wise, however, took oil in jars along with their lamps.  The bridegroom was a long time in coming, and they all became drowsy and fell asleep.”  Matthew 25:1-5

 

This is a familiar passage of scripture often used to teach about living in readiness of Christ’s return.  In the Life Application Study Bible, the commentary explains the wedding day custom of the time:  “On the wedding day the bridegroom went to the bride’s house for the ceremony, then the bride and groom, along with a great procession, returned to the groom’s house where a feast took place, often lasting a full week.  These ten virgins were waiting to join the procession, and they hoped to take part in the wedding banquet…”  As you can see, being ready to go to the party was a huge social event in those days.  To miss out was a huge disappointment for a young virgin- and quite instructional to us today.

In recent months, my heart has been so stirred about what the Bible terms “the end days” and the rapture of the church- where the Lord calls the saved to meet him in the air.  For those of us who have asked Jesus into our hearts as our personal Lord and Savior, we look forward to that time with mixed emotions.  We are eager to go out and join him, but of course, we do not want any of our unsaved friends, family, neighbors, etc., to be left out of the celebration.  We want to avoid seeing anyone that we care about left behind.  As Christians, we are mandated to care about every human being; thus, we look to this day with eager anticipation for ourselves and dread for those who have not made preparations to go.

In later posts, we will discuss the return of the “groom”, but for the purpose of today I want to pause in this passage where the Scripture ended.  Ten maidens had grabbed their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom.  Five thought ahead and took the oil that made the lamps useful.  Five foolishly failed to plan and had lamps with no ability to use them.  We know that Jesus put major emphasis on Him being “the light of the world” and us being His light in the world today.  All the virgins, at a glance, appeared to have the same potential to illuminate.  But upon further inspection, five were a farce.  They had the appearance, but no ability.  How many of us “Christians” claim the name of Christ, but fail to truly have the goods?  How many of us attend church, speak the language, have five Bibles, but are without the oil in our lives?  In the Bible, oil is symbolic of the Holy Spirit.  The five wise had the presence of the oil, or the Holy Spirit, thus they were able to light their path to lead them to the groom.

In these evil days that we are living in, it is going to take a little more preparation to keep our lights shining bright.  We are going to have to make sure that we bathe ourselves in the precious Holy Spirit of God and that we know our Word inside and out.  People are sick, beat-down and hurting.  What do we have to offer them?  Are we carriers of the light?  Or are we false advertisers, a mere charade?

The days of easy living for Christians is probably behind us.  Things are tough.  The darkness is growing.  But a pin-prick of light in a pitch-black night will draw all eyes to it.  Are you lighting up for Jesus?

Dear Lord, have mercy on the church.  Forgive us for blending in, giving in, and extinguishing our light.  Help us to shine for You.  In Jesus’ Name.  Amen.

Sherri

Rescued and Reassigned

“For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves.”  Colossians 1:13

 

Have you ever needed to be rescued?  I am so grateful that God has rescued us from the dominion of darkness. Before we came to Christ, we were all bound and held captive by a sin nature.  We had a desire to do wrong.  Even if we came to Christ at a young age, the darkness was still an issue.  Those of us who came to saving knowledge of Jesus at an older age are probably more aware of the power that darkness had over our lives.  Either way, his rescue of us was nothing short of miraculous.

If he had done nothing but rescue us, that would be just a beautiful thing.  But He always goes so much further.  He rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves.  These are powerful prepositions because it shows a change of placement for us.  We were reassigned from darkness and brought into the kingdom of Jesus.- a kingdom of light and love.

Today, take a little time and reflect what you have been saved from and all of the blessings you have been brought into.  Doing this helps keep us focused on the fact that it all occurred by His action and never through our own.

Thank you Lord, for rescuing me.  Thank you for taking me up and making me your own.  In Jesus’ Name.  Amen.

Sherri

Need a Light?

“This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all.”  I John 1:5

We live in a dark world.  People’s idea of entertainment has slanted into darkness.  There is much evil, hatred and wickedness.  Movies, video games and books all portray increasingly violent, demonic or dark plots and graphics.   People are bound by addictions, desolate, hopeless and despairing.  The darkness can be so penetrating that is seems hard to combat.

But the good news is that God IS light.  Everything about him is light.  One day when we enjoy the new heavens and the new earth, Jesus will be our light.  He will be our source of constant light.  And even today, when life becomes dark around us, we can run toward the light.  He is our hope, our future, our deliverance and our peace.  We are blessed to have access to a light that other people crave.

As Christians, we are to be salt and light.  That really should not be too complicated given that He is light and as Christians, we are in Him. We cannot enjoy the same dark and worldly entertainments that sinners do.  We must be careful, as keepers or tenders of the light, to keep the flame bright that others may find their way to Jesus.

We need to pray and seek God to bring light to our families, our communities, our churches, our nation, and the world.

Dear Lord, make me aware of the darkness that pulls at me.  Help me to keep my light pure.  Help me to be a source of light to those with whom I come into contact.  Thank you that you repel darkness and provide hope.  In Jesus’ Name.  Amen.

Sherri