All human help is useless

If you are feeling a bit like 'all human help is useless' right now, you are probably not alone in that appraisal of some of the things happening in our country at present. I think we more than enough concern over the rising prices of just about everything, with no more 'double coupons' and 'killer sales' to help us fill our pantries, rising gas prices making it difficult to enjoy our travels, and natural disaster upon disaster setting ablaze entire cities. We don't need to worry if our God is still present. It may seem like we aren't doing 'all that well' and 'all human help is useless', but God's help is really what we need most!

Oh, please help us against our enemies, for all human help is useless. With God’s help we will do mighty things, for he will trample down our foes. (Psalm 60:11-12)

With his help, mighty things can be accomplished - even by those who say it is not possible. The impossible is God's domain. We should never forget that, nor should we ever think he would abandon us. The purpose for the present challenges may not be evident to us right now, but we can rest assured that God has his hand on us to preserve us and protect us with whatever we are faced with. When all human help is useless, that is the time God begins to shine the brilliance of his glory and power! We might think he waits too long to do so, but his timing is always (and I mean always) perfect!

Our foes, whoever or whatever they may be, might stand in opposition, but God's mighty forces are at the ready to repel all opposition. Look again at our passage today and you will see we might just play a part in this 'repelling force' against our enemies. It is with his help that WE will do mighty things - his power within us helping us to repel the forces of darkness and evil that attempt to gain inroad after inroad into our communities, families, and our own lives. Darkness is dispelled with light. We are made to shine forth that light. As we connect with him, allowing his light to permeate every inch of our being, we become beacons of hope for those who find all 'human help useless' in this hurting world. Just sayin!

Welcome the light

The more we experience light, the harder it becomes to tolerate darkness. This is true in every area of our lives. Get up in the middle of the night, when darkness abounds, then try to avoid hitting your toe on the furniture if there is not even one hint of light to guide your way. You stumble around, hands held outward groping for something to guide the way. Then there comes a bit of light - it settles our anxiety, helps us make out what has been hidden, and helps us 'navigate' with safety. Light is perhaps not essential, but the more we experience it, the more essential it becomes!

God is light, and in him there is no darkness. So if we say that we share in life with God, but we continue living in darkness, we are liars, who don’t follow the truth. We should live in the light, where God is. If we live in the light, we have fellowship with each other, and the blood sacrifice of Jesus, God’s Son, washes away every sin and makes us clean. If we say that we have no sin, we are fooling ourselves, and the truth is not in us. But if we confess our sins, God will forgive us. We can trust God to do this. He always does what is right. He will make us clean from all the wrong things we have done. If we say that we have not sinned, we are saying that God is a liar and that we don’t accept his true teaching. (I John 1:5-10)

When that light is Jesus, the more we experience his light, the more essential our relationship with him becomes! Darkness isn't going to thrill us any longer - we won't desire to tolerate the things we once found we could 'grope our way through'. We will want light to be shed, perhaps only dimly at first, but then with the full brightness of his presence. Why do we desire to be free of darkness? It holds things that harm us. It creates a sense of fear within us. It creates 'images' out of lurking 'darker things' that we don't fully comprehend. So, we desire light.

Light sets things right. It dispels the myth that what 'lurks' in the darkness will harm us. When light comes into our spirit, the things that once hid in the darkness no longer have a hiding place. They are exposed for what they really are. In the night hours, that looming bookcase may take on the image of a giant monster, but in the light of day we see it for what it really is - a home for books. Light helps make the things that we imagine to be real evident for what they really are. When we trust God enough to give us the light we need, we are relying upon a light that will never go out. 

Light brings hope, dispels fear, opens our understanding. When we welcome light into our lives, we are actually asking darkness to flee. Just sayin!

Opening the cabinet door

As people understand your word, it brings light to their lives. Your word makes even simple people wise. (Psalm 119:130)

Wisdom is the right use of knowledge. To know is not to be wise. Many men know a great deal, and are all the greater fools for it. There is no fool so great a fool as a knowing fool. But to know how to use knowledge is to have wisdom. (Charles Spurgeon)

I need light, especially when it is the darkest. In the middle of the day, I even need light in some of those 'recessed places' in my life. Not everything is evident to light until light comes into the place where it has been excluded from exploring. Some of us need a little 'exploring' by Light, don't we? I have often heard believers say they don't know what the Bible has to say - that it is a bit too hard to understand. In answer, I often ask what 'translation' they are using. It could just be that the 'understanding' of the Word is a little 'blunted' because we choose to read the Word of God from a translation that is too hard for us to understand. Most commonly, it is that we haven't asked God to open our eyes of understanding to what it is we are reading. Once we ask for understanding, we also need to ask for help in implementing what it is we are reading!

Light in our lives isn't just automatic. I have several good lights in the kitchen, but the recesses of that corner cabinet next to the stove are not reached by those lights. I still need the flashlight to see 'way back there' in the recesses. Some of us have 'corner cabinets' in our lives that get a 'glimpse' of light on occasion, but there needs to be some very specific 'light shining' done in order to uncover what has been masked and hidden away in the recesses of our heart and mind. It is the stuff in the 'recesses' that God often focuses on when we spend time in his Word, but unless we actually open the 'door' to the light he brings, it is as useless as the flashlight with a closed cabinet door! I am still not going to know what is hidden in the recesses of that cabinet if I keep the door tightly shut! Some of us have tightly shut those areas of our heart where we have secret sins, hard to break habits, and humiliating hurts. Don't be surprised when God actually asks you to open the 'cabinet door' so he can reveal them!

God wants us to do more than just 'know' the Word of God. Many will memorize portions of scripture, but what do they really mean to them? What life-change has occurred because those words have penetrated the recesses? As we have likely heard, we need to both here and do what the Word of God commands. James 1:25 reminds us, "But when you look into God’s perfect law that sets people free, pay attention to it. If you do what it says, you will have God’s blessing. Never just listen to his teaching and forget what you heard." Pray for wisdom, but don't expect it to be automatic. Sometimes we need to take steps of obedience in order to have the light reflected into those 'recesses'. I have to open the cabinet door to find the rolling pin way back there in the recesses. You and I might just have to open up a few unpleasant thoughts, memories, or habitual patterns to his review in order to find the root and be rid of it once and for all. Just sayin!

Fuel comes in many forms

Desmund Tutu said, "Hope is being able to see that there is light despite all the darkness." We can see all manner of darkness, but we don't see clearly in that darkness, do we? We are enveloped by its heavy shadow, but we can push back that shadow when we bring light into that dark place. Someone once said we can either be a candle or the mirror that reflects the candle - either way, we are pushing back darkness. We may not feel like it, but our very presence on this earth brings light into some very dark places.

Lord, you provide the flame for my lamp. You, God, turn the darkness around me into light. (Psalm 18:28)

God provides our 'flame' - we reflect his light. There is much to be said about having the 'right fuel' for our fire. You could start a fire with a gallon of gasoline, but it isn't all that safe because it has an explosive power. You could start a fire with a mirror, but it isn't reliable unless you have the brighter light of the sun to reflect in that mirror. You could start a fire without any light, but the friction required to start that fire takes a toll on an individual. We need God's 'fuel' for our inner fire, but we also need it for the fire that is aimed at impacting a very dark world around us.

Fuel comes in many forms. I have discovered you can get camp stoves that burn with propane, butane, or kerosene. You can gather matches, wood, and kindling to create a fire. You might even be able to use fuels such as paper, wood shavings formed into 'logs' of sorts, or even dried animal dung. While the latter doesn't seem like a good option for 'fuel', it works, nonetheless. We might not see the fuel used as some can be odorless and colorless. We might not observe the qualities of the fuel at first, but some burn longer and brighter than others. Whatever the fuel, it has a purpose. Whatever the fuel God puts in your tank, it has a purpose!

The whole purpose of light is to turn darkness into light. The whole purpose of fuel is to keep the fire ignited. Without the fuel, there is no ignition. Without the ignition, there is no fire. Without the fire, the darkness remains. Since God gives us the fuel and his Spirit ignites it within us, isn't it about time we use that light within to push back some of the darkness around us? Just askin!

Done in by what is brought in

We ourselves heard that voice from heaven when we were with him on the holy mountain. Because of that experience, we have even greater confidence in the message proclaimed by the prophets. You must pay close attention to what they wrote, for their words are like a lamp shining in a dark place—until the Day dawns, and Christ the Morning Star shines in your hearts. Above all, you must realize that no prophecy in Scripture ever came from the prophet’s own understanding, or from human initiative. No, those prophets were moved by the Holy Spirit, and they spoke from God. (2 Peter 1:18-21)

Sometimes we hear or read the same passage time and time again, thinking we already know what it says. The times we 'discount' what God has to say to us in any passage of scripture are times we miss out on God showing us afresh what he has to say, or somehow revealing something we might not have discerned when we were exposed to that same scripture earlier. Either way, we miss out. God's 'ask' of us is that we 'pay close attention' to the Word of God - each and every time we read it, hear it, or recount it from memory. Why? It is powerful - it gives us light, pushing back darkness in every aspect of our lives.

No prophecy in scripture is of 'man's own understanding'. In other words, those words we find in scripture aren't there by accident, or because someone thought they'd make a delightful story for our reading pleasure. They are there 'on purpose' - because God wanted them there for our learning, protection, and encouragement. Do we have confidence in the Word of God - that it is inspired by God, recorded by human hand, but divine in its integrity? If we don't, we ought to! God's Word isn't trivial - it contains promises to bolster our faith, instructions to protect us from devastating sinful acts, and wisdom we didn't even know we'd need.

If you read the Word of God on a regular basis, you may not be aware of how much the 'light of God's Word' is pushing back the 'darkness of Satan's lies' in your life, but it is. There is no more powerful weapon than the Word of God. It does more than just 'stay' the attack - it dispels it and has Satan on the run! Light pushes darkness away - it repels darkness. You cannot bring light into a dark cave and have darkness remain. Wherever the light goes, darkness dissipates - it is 'done in' by the light you 'brought in'. So, bring in a little light today and see just how much the darkness is 'done in' by what you 'bring in'. Just suggestin!

An open invitation

Jesus spoke to the people once more and said, “I am the light of the world. If you follow me, you won’t have to walk in darkness, because you will have the light that leads to life.” (John 8:12)

If you were in a dark room and someone offered to turn on a light for you, would you just continue to stumble along, feeling your way around obstacles, risking bumping into things as you did? It is likely that you'd accept the invitation to have light brought into the room because you don't like stumbling aimlessly! Obstacles abound in life - many of them of our own making. Why would we choose to just stumble around in the dark, running into those obstacles repeatedly, when we are offered light to help us avoid them completely?

Jesus offers us light - light that dispels all manner of evil in our lives, pointing out obstacles and stumbling points so we don't run into them needlessly. Yet so many refuse to allow the light in. It seems to me that we get a little too used to this idea of 'feeling our way along' in life, not really wanting to give up our 'control' over our steps - even if there are unseen obstacles in our path. It is that stubborn rebellion that keeps us going around in circles, never really making much progress. Light has been offered, but we find the offer 'isn't the right time', or 'it might not be as good as I want'. 

The one who accepts the invitation to come into light and move away from darkness isn't assured there will be no obstacles at all, but at least we have an awareness of their existence and God's help to avoid them completely! Following someone in the dark is kind of like the blind leading the blind. Jesus never offered to lead us in darkness - he only offered to lead us in light. We might not think it is the right time to be 'led', but if we want true freedom, we follow! This might seem a little like a contradiction to some - follow to know freedom instead of just going whatever way we please.

The invitation is open. You can either accept it or continue to stumble around in your own darkness. The risk of following isn't nearly as great as that of stumbling around in the dark! Just sayin!

But...what will they think?

There comes a time when we have the perfect time to acknowledge our faith in Jesus, only to become timid and almost 'embarrassed' to do so simply because our 'social group' would think us 'odd' or reject us because of our 'stand'? There are times we think more about our 'social standing' within the group than we do our opportunity to be light and life in a very, very dark world. The leaders believed, yet their 'fear' of the impact on their 'social standing' as 'leaders' actually caused them to keep silent about Jesus. It is a sad day when we care more about what others think about us than we do about drawing closer to Jesus, allowing him to use us in whatever 'social grouping' we have been placed.

Many people did believe in him, however, including some of the Jewish leaders. But they wouldn’t admit it for fear that the Pharisees would expel them from the synagogue. For they loved human praise more than the praise of God. Jesus shouted to the crowds, “If you trust me, you are trusting not only me, but also God who sent me. For when you see me, you are seeing the one who sent me. I have come as a light to shine in this dark world, so that all who put their trust in me will no longer remain in the dark. I will not judge those who hear me but don’t obey me, for I have come to save the world and not to judge it.” (John 12:42-47)

To think more about human praise or status than the praise of God is to walk a very slippery slope. We might think our 'status' in Christ will make others uncomfortable, but sometimes we worry more that is a 'bit threatening' to our own social status in the group! Yes, Jesus made people uncomfortable - but that was because they were more concerned with the way they were seen by the masses than they were in drawing closer to him. They didn't want to be identified as sinners in need of a Savior. They didn't want to be 'shy' with their faith, they just didn't really know how to be 'bold' in their beliefs.

The good news is that when Christ died, was raised from the dead, and ascended into heaven, he sent the Holy Spirit to reside within his followers. There is no need to be timid or shy with our faith any longer - for the Spirit of God will not only show us how to live 'above' the crowd's opinion of us but will give us the boldness to actually live consistently without fear of human opinion. There is no 'position' on this earth, or social standing that is better than standing 'in Christ'. So how is it we get all caught up in human opinion of us? I think a little thing called pride gets us all messed up in this matter.

We 'like' being accepted and we 'appreciate' being noticed in a positive manner. Whenever the attention turns from us being liked or appreciated to a place of being a threat or someone others take issue with because of our beliefs, we almost want to hide. The line between being 'bold for Christ' and 'not being a light' in this earth is a very fine line. It is quite easy to cross over it when the opinion of the social group we 'admire' becomes the focus instead of keeping Jesus first in our lives. The more influence we give human opinion in our lives, the less bold we become for Christ. 

Salt isn't savory when it is diluted to the point of only giving a 'hint' of that salty taste. Dilute your 'faith' or 'beliefs' too much and you lose your 'savor' in this world. When we are willing to be salt and light, we are making a determination to live above human opinion because the only 'opinion' that matters to us is that of our Lord! Just sayin!

Hues of Grace

 “There is no judgment against anyone who believes in him. But anyone who does not believe in him has already been judged for not believing in God’s one and only Son. And the judgment is based on this fact: God’s light came into the world, but people loved the darkness more than the light, for their actions were evil. All who do evil hate the light and refuse to go near it for fear their sins will be exposed. But those who do what is right come to the light so others can see that they are doing what God wants.” (John 3:18-21)

As a wee child, Dad would warn me against getting too close to the open flame of a campfire, flames licking up this way and that, with tiny embers bursting free from the logs. His worry was that I might be burned, but I wanted to see more, feel the warmth and hear that crackle firsthand. I would approach with caution, though, for the very thing that drew me closer was also the very thing I knew could change me forever. I wonder if this is what is like for those who see the light within us, but also know that light has a power to change those it enters? Maybe there is a little 'trepidation' in approaching the light because there is some awareness of the extreme power of that light!

As we all know, light has a way of illuminating a path, but when we close our eyes to light, the darkness still exists on 'inside'. There is a drawing power that exists within each of us - a testimony that actually helps others see a bit more of God and a whole lot more of what grace in action really looks like. I actually think some shy away from the light within us because they are afraid it will transform their lives, believing the darkness they know is better than the light they don't know. Darkness becomes a comfortable place, not really requiring any real 'exposure'.

Light actually travels in a straight line - no wonder God uses light as a symbol of the life we are to live. It has an intensity that can brighten or grow dimmer by the minute. It can be 'interfered with' by putting something over it, in front of it, or pointing it in a different direction. Although it travels in a straight line, it is possible for light to be dispersed or hidden. God uses each of us as beacons of light - allowing that grace within to shine forth, but sometimes we attempt to hide it, don't we? A scientist may desire the brightest of lights, but an artist appreciates all the various 'hues' created by light with varying intensity.

God is definitely an 'artist' when it comes to light, for he brings out the 'intensity' in just the right way that others will be drawn to it, finding pleasure and goodness in it. Rather than focus on how 'bright' our light shines (in our own estimation), let us allow God to bring out the 'hues of grace' from that light within, drawing those who have been way too familiar with darkness into its basking glow. God can do more with one 'hue' of his grace than we will ever do by 'telling' someone we have the light. Just sayin!

A light cannot be hidden

There was a man named Nicodemus, a Jewish religious leader who was a Pharisee. After dark one evening, he came to speak with Jesus. Jesus replied, “You are a respected Jewish teacher, and yet you don’t understand these things? I assure you, we tell you what we know and have seen, and yet you won’t believe our testimony. But if you don’t believe me when I tell you about earthly things, how can you possibly believe if I tell you about heavenly things? (John 3:1-2, 11-12)

As we might already be aware, just being a part of a religious movement doesn't make us right with God. Nicodemus was a Jewish religious leader, and he still didn't recognize the Messiah when he was in his own hometown. As a matter of fact, he was so 'intimidated' by what the other leaders might think, or what his fellow townsfolk might believe about him, that he came to Jesus under the cover of nightfall. He was curious, drawn by something he wasn't sure about, but wasn't willing to be 'outed' for his curiosity to those he worked and lived with each day. We might be afraid to admit we are 'curious' about Jesus, but even if we come under the 'cover of night' into his presence, we can be assured he will reveal himself and his purpose, and his grace will fill our lives. 

The thing we may not realize about Nicodemus is that he somehow managed to have this moment with Jesus, probably asking questions, seeking clarity because he was beginning to see something in Jesus that made him think he was no 'ordinary guy'. Jesus was very kind to him - taking time to speak with him, letting him ask questions, and probably even 'challenging' his beliefs a bit. Jesus is always willing to help us with our 'questions' - to help us move beyond any point of unbelief into a place of committed faith. We know something happened for Nicodemus that night that began to cement his faith because he was willing to openly stand up before his group of colleagues later on when Jesus was being badgered and criticized by his fellow religious leaders. We also know he provided the 'burial spices' for Jesus - something that would have cost him not only financially but would have opened him up to ridicule by his fellow leaders. 

When Jesus begins to 'cement' the truth about who he is and what he is about to do in our lives, we might just find that we are willing to 'stand up' - becoming 'open' about our beliefs where we might have been a little too intimidated to stand boldly before. I think God gives us truth - brings us into places of understanding - not so much so we can 'cement' it in our minds and hearts, but so we can stand up and stand boldly within that truth. We might seek his truth and wisdom under the 'cover of darkness', but Jesus reminds all of us that a light cannot be hidden. When truth is given, it is meant to become a beacon that draws others toward that truth. Just sayin!

It is dark in here

Imagine being surrounded on all sides, enemy forces about to tromp on you, fear mounting, despair permeating every fiber of your being. You may not realize how 'dire' the circumstances really are, but you know something has happened to change the course of 'good times' in your life. We all get there on occasion - sometimes by our own doing. We choose to compromise our lives with some 'little sin' that really isn't 'all that big'. Then we wonder why we find ourselves with mounting pressures and attacks. Truth be told, that 'little sin' let in a dump truck load of other temptations you might not have wanted to entertain, but now they are there. In those times when the pressures seem to be closing in, keep in mind one very important fact - God has not forgotten how much you need light in your life!

The Lord will bring me into the light, and I will see his righteousness. (Micah 7:9)

Sin has a way of creating 'dark places' in our spirit, affecting our bodies, and disrupting our thought life until we feel like there is likely no way out. Remember this - with God all things are possible - there is always a way out. We may not readily see it, nor do we have a clue what got us where we are right now, but God does, and he will walk us through those dark places if we give him the chance. The nation of Israel was facing much conflict, rulers within their nation were even a bit corrupt and not following the Lord as they should have. The pressures from neighboring territories were mounting and war was always imminent. How much pressure do we have to be under before we realize we need God's grace to get us back to a place of light again? If we are anything like Israel, we may need to go 'through' a few battles, feeling a bit 'beat up', before we finally acknowledge we have walked down a wrong path.

What we can never forget is that God stands at the ready to dispel darkness - to deal with sin, then to bring restoration to the sinner. God doesn't like operating in the realm of 'punishment', but sin has a way of beating us up. It is a consequence of wrong choices. Grace is the blessing of right ones! Restoration begins at the point of confession, but we must remember that confession is more than an acknowledgement of sin. It is a starting point for repentance - the turning away from that which brought the darkness in the first place. Just sayin!

A vacuuming lesson

Do you think God wants to judge anyone 'guilty' as they stand before him? If you know anything about scripture, you will know it is quite the opposite - for God "did not send his Son into the world to judge the world guilty, but to save the world through him." (John 3:17) God's greatest joy is to receive us each into his great big family through the work of his Son, Jesus. If we desire to be free of guilt, we only need ask for that gift!

The Light has come into the world, but they did not want light. They wanted darkness, because they were doing evil things. All who do evil hate the light and will not come to the light, because it will show all the evil things they do. But those who follow the true way come to the light, and it shows that the things they do were done through God.” (John 3:19-21)

When we ask for light, we receive it and so much more. Grace comes in waves upon waves. Aren't you glad that grace is limitless? How is it that grace begins to do more than just remove our 'guilt' and 'shame'? Grace brings a new way of living - a new way of making choices - not for us, but according to God's will. How does God change our life from dark to light? By giving us the light that never goes out - the light that illuminates every area of our life, making it impossible to bury any of our guilt or shame any longer.

Grace has a way of digging up our guilt, bringing it to the surface so the light can finally take it away. As I was vacuuming this morning, I found if I kept the lights off in the room, using the very bright light on the vacuum to illuminate the path of the vacuum, I saw all the pieces of dirt that had been hidden with the other light on in the room. It took getting light close to the 'dirt' to actually expose it! Sometimes we may not feel all that comfortable having light shown into our 'darkest spots', but if we want to actually be rid of the 'dirt' once and for all, we may have to let God's light get closer to those areas than we might like!

Darkness, or even a dim light, has a way of concealing much that really needs to be dealt with, but remains a bit too well hidden. We might feel more comfortable with the dim light, but God wants us to have the brightest light possible - his Son! That way we will be able to be rid of the dirt that just serves to muck up our lives. Just sayin!

Not feeling it?

Albert Pike reminds us, "We have all the light we need - we just need to put it into practice." There are times we already know what to do, when to do it, or how to do it, but we just stand still, not doing anything. Why is that? It could be we just don't 'feel' it at the moment - causing just a bit of a delay or lag in our 'obedience' response. We have 'light', but light is meant to reveal and reflect. We must remember all steps toward God are good, but when light is given, it is meant to illuminate the steps we are to take - God provides 'plenty of light to live in' both now and in the future.

Jesus once again addressed them: “I am the world’s Light. No one who follows me stumbles around in the darkness. I provide plenty of light to live in.” The Pharisees objected, “All we have is your word on this. We need more than this to go on.” Jesus replied, “You’re right that you only have my word. But you can depend on it being true. I know where I’ve come from and where I go next. You don’t know where I’m from or where I’m headed. You decide according to what you can see and touch. I don’t make judgments like that. But even if I did, my judgment would be true because I wouldn’t make it out of the narrowness of my experience but in the largeness of the One who sent me, the Father. That fulfills the conditions set down in God’s Law: that you can count on the testimony of two witnesses. And that is what you have: You have my word and you have the word of the Father who sent me.” (John 8:12-18)

God's Word acts as a guide for our steps, but when all we do is 'take it in', we are seriously misusing a very important tool God left for us. His Word isn't just 'nice' to read, making us feel good now and again, but it is meant to be used to help us stay motivated, know where we need change, and what actions we need to take both today and in the future. The religious leaders of Jesus' day didn't understand that he spoke the Words of his Father - so they weren't going to embrace them. After all this time, all the evidence of miracle after miracle, and no evidence to the contrary, they still balked at accepting him as the Messiah. They still found it hard to believe he was the one sent from God himself.

We might find it hard to be in God's Word some days, but if we neglect this resource, we can become as narrow-minded and 'religious' as the leaders of Jesus' day. They studied the Law of Moses, the Torah, and the prophets, but they still missed the coming of their deliverer. All the study in the world doesn't do much good if the light we possess is merely 'saved up' and not used. Light is given to illuminate - illumination brings direction - direction is given to get us safely from one place to another. As Jesus said, "You can depend on it being true." His Word will give us direction - we just need to count on it being true and then walking in it to the best of our ability. The next time we aren't 'feeling it', we might just want to challenge ourselves to stop relying upon our feelings so much, and just walk in the light we are given! Just sayin!

Toward the Sunrise

This is the crisis we’re in: God-light streamed into the world, but men and women everywhere ran for the darkness. They went for the darkness because they were not really interested in pleasing God. Everyone who makes a practice of doing evil, addicted to denial and illusion, hates God-light and won’t come near it, fearing a painful exposure. But anyone working and living in truth and reality welcomes God-light so the work can be seen for the God-work it is. (John 3:20-21)

A crisis is a stage in a sequence of events at which the trend of all future events, especially for better or for worse, is determined - some call this a turning point. It can represent a condition of instability or danger, leading to a decisive change - not always for the best. Equally so, it can represent one of those events where there is a lot of dramatic emotional or circumstantial upheaval in a person's life - leaving one to sort out the pieces when all is said and done. When a person is not interested in pleasing God, their entire life may seem like one crisis right after another - barely bailing out of one and stepping into another. Darkness is like that - you stumble around a lot, not sure of where you are going, and doing a pretty poor job of avoiding all the obstacles in your path.

We can observe all manner of folk around us who are 'addicted to denial and illusion' - believing whatever the 'fad of the day' is at the moment. Their illusions are fed by the media - their denial is spurred on by all manner of imaginary belief formed on nothing more than opinion. They could be what some refer to as 'naysayers' - never having a good word to say about anything. It is quite possible they are well enough educated, just 'dumb' where it comes to the things we call 'spiritual'. They need to understand, or they will not believe, but spiritual things are not always easily understood. What a way to go through life! I don't want to see the dark side of things, much less experience them! I want the light to show me how to live, where my thoughts aren't quite right, and what choices I should make. I don't want to live from one crisis to another - how about you?

When you reject light, you are left 'running for the darkness'. I do just the opposite - I run for the light, fleeing the darkness whenever I can. I like to walk early in the morning as the sun is coming up, but as the fall and winter season is upon us, the sunrise comes a wee bit later each new day. That means I may start my walk in a bit of darkness, but I head toward the sunrise so the light will be upon me, leading my steps as I go. It is like that when we say 'yes' to Jesus - we leave darkness behind and begin to walk into the light. We begin to see our path illuminated by that 'spiritual light' and as we take each step, it is more certain, solid, and taken with conviction. If I ever take a step that is without conviction, I usually know it is away from the light, not toward it! Just sayin!

Stingy people are poor people indeed

Ever had one of those moments when you know something and no one else in the group does? You are almost chatting at the bit to get an opportunity to share it with someone, but perhaps you have been sworn to secrecy and cannot share it. The information you possess is almost too big to be contained. I think this is the way it is with what God gives us - it is almost too big for us to contain it! It leaves us feeling like we'd have to share it, or we'd burst. Imagine heading off to the market one day in search of a new lamp for your home. Anticipation mounts, for you have a particular mission in mind. Exploration of shelf upon shelf, for there are many lamps from which to choose. Choosing just the right one, expectation begins to build for you can imagine the light it will bring to your home. Then at last, you have the joy of experience - for the light shed illuminates all you could not see otherwise. If we have such an experience in seeking, obtaining, and experiencing the spiritual light Christ brings, why would we ever tuck it away for no one else to experience?

Jesus went on: “Does anyone bring a lamp home and put it under a washtub or beneath the bed? Don’t you put it up on a table or on the mantel? We’re not keeping secrets, we’re telling them; we’re not hiding things, we’re bringing them out into the open. “Are you listening to this? Really listening? “Listen carefully to what I am saying—and be wary of the shrewd advice that tells you how to get ahead in the world on your own. Giving, not getting, is the way. Generosity begets generosity. Stinginess impoverishes.” (Mark 4:21-25)

Anticipation is best understood as a type of "foretaste". There is some kind of hope which actually sets things in motion in our lives. We often don't know what it is we will discover as we spend time with Jesus, but we know from previous "tastes" of time in his presence, it will be a good thing. What we may not realize is that the word "anticipation" is a noun of ACTION. To anticipate something doesn't mean we wait in inactivity for whatever it is we hope to receive from our time with God - it means we enter into his presence with ACTION (not activity). There is a purpose - an intent - and it moves us. This is a moment of examination - for some things worth having require a little determined examination to uncover. I have learned this as I have been exposed to a few antique shops. Not all shops put the "good finds" right out there in the open. You almost always have to dig through shelf after shelf, box after box, or hidden crannies to find it. I think God may give us these times of examining what he has for us because he wants to us to come to a place of determined commitment to "find".

Once we are intent in our search and purposeful in our exploration, we are at the point of having to choose the truth we will hold onto. We are faced with many choices of "truth" in our lives - only one choice holds up to the test of time - the truth of God's word. Choosing involves consideration of the alternatives. God gives us each free will - the ability to choose. Whenever we are faced with choices, we consider the alternatives. Using our illustration of the lamp, we can choose one which is square and squat, or one which is tall and slender. One might fit the space better - while the other might just provide better light in the room. The choice is ours - choosing the one which "fits" our needs the best is oftentimes aided by the "nudges" of the one presenting us the options. God presents the options - we make the choice. As we begin to embrace truth, it begins to build an anticipated excitement within which we sometimes refer to as expectation. It is good to know our heavenly Father is overjoyed with us anticipating his good gifts - with eager anticipation and excited expectation.

The light shed in our time with Jesus illuminates our choices like nothing else. It all culminates in experience, doesn't it. When the light finally fills the room of our heart, darkness is dispelled. When darkness no longer taunts our heart (mind, will, and emotions), we are free to move like never before. God's hope for us is that we will come into a place of being "light-filled" and living with right choices, as a result. Let's learn to embrace God's light and not be stingy in sharing it with others. Just sayin!

Now faith is...

Faith is the bird that feels the light when the dawn is still dark. (Rabindranath Tagore)

The fundamental fact of existence is that this trust in God, this faith, is the firm foundation under everything that makes life worth living. It’s our handle on what we can’t see. The act of faith is what distinguished our ancestors, set them above the crowd. By faith, we see the world called into existence by God’s word, what we see created by what we don’t see. (Hebrews 11:1-3)

For some, the days may seem like they are a little 'dark' - nothing good seems to be in visible sight at all. For others, they have just come out of their darkest place to date, glad to be 'done with it', but ever so grateful for all they learned as they leaned into Jesus throughout that darkness. Faith isn't born in the 'lightest' places of our lives - it is most frequently found growing leaps and bounds when the 'darkness' comes into our lives. Why do you think that might be? It could just be that there is no other 'resource' quite as good as Jesus and his intense love for us. Trust in God is built - it isn't just 'given'. It isn't inherited from our parents or a good mentor in our lives. It isn't a result of reading our Bible from cover to cover as we would a novel. While the teachings of our parents and mentors may help us see faith in action, it doesn't 'create' faith within us - it just spurs us to look for that same faith by going to Jesus to understand for ourselves how it is faith is born and grows. Reading our Bible may give us an understanding of how God works, but just understanding how he works doesn't build our faith.

I like how Tagore put it - faith is 'feeling the light when the dawn is still dark'. When you at that darkest place, does light seem to trickle through that deepest darkness? Fear seems to be put down, we rise to our feet in some unknown faith, and we stand with a strength not our own. How? God comes alongside us in that darkness, allowing us to 'feel' his light long before we see it. While God doesn't want us to depend upon our feelings (emotions), he made our emotions to help us 'sense' things around us - including his presence, power, and peace. This might be the greatest thing we learn in the time of darkness - nothing replaces his presence, power, or peace - shadows may come and forces may be at work to replace them in our lives, but they will never be overcome by any opposing force. Darkness actually isn't darkness when we have the light within us. Just sayin!

Fact Check, Please

 Franz Kafka reminds us to "start with what is right rather than what is acceptable". These are indeed wise words as so many today just 'accept' things along the way in life and don't really 'fact check' them to see if they are 'right' or just 'acceptable'. To follow blindly is indeed dangerous territory - we may just find ourselves doing things we might not really want to do, repeating things best not repeated, and believing things not really all that trustworthy. We have an obligation to each other as members of God's family to 'fact check' the things we believe, act upon, and repeat to others. If we don't, we can lead others into some pretty confusing places in their lives!

So here’s what I want you to do. When you gather for worship, each one of you be prepared with something that will be useful for all: Sing a hymn, teach a lesson, tell a story, lead a prayer, provide an insight. When we worship the right way, God doesn’t stir us up into confusion; he brings us into harmony. (I Corinthians 14:26, 33)

As we are all made up of differing personalities and unique talents, we owe it to each other to nourish the talents of those God brings into our community of believers, but we also owe it to ourselves to not just blindly accept all they say and do. Gather together, but create a culture that is safe for all - that adheres to the truth as outlined in God's Word - learn to 'fact check'. Do their teachings align with what God tells us in scripture? If not, don't just reject it as untrue - correct it. Share truth because others may not realize they have just followed what was 'acceptable' in culture today rather than what is 'right' by God's standards.

I don't want to presume to be right. There are times when I am clearly wrong. I always want to be open to correction wherever it is needed in my life. How about you? Have you ever had the 'facts checked' in your life and found you likely needed a little bit of 'correction'? It may not be the easiest to admit that we need to reject something we have accepted in our lives, but when we willingly lay it down we might just experience freedom from something that was actually holding us back in our spiritual growth. This Christian walk isn't always 'intuitive' - especially when we receive so many conflicting messages from this world we live in.

We live in a world where there is a lot of confusion about what is right and wrong. Believe it or not, some accept things just because others do. At some point, it becomes the blind leading the blind and that isn't going to end well! Be a leader of truth. Be an example of righteousness. Bring truth and light wherever you go. Allow God to do the 'fact checking' in your life and then when you gather together with others - you won't be adding to the confusion, you will be bringing order and light! Just sayin!

Shedding a little light

 “This is the crisis we’re in: God-light streamed into the world, but men and women everywhere ran for the darkness. They went for the darkness because they were not really interested in pleasing God. Everyone who makes a practice of doing evil, addicted to denial and illusion, hates God-light and won’t come near it, fearing a painful exposure. But anyone working and living in truth and reality welcomes God-light so the work can be seen for the God-work it is.” (John 3:20-21)

I have to say there are a lot of 'dark places' where people can find their 'hideout' within these days. The unfortunate reality is that although they think they are hidden from the light, light has a way of dispelling ALL darkness. It may not seem like it, but there are 'runners' in this world - those who do their very best to live independently and without thought as to their eternal future. To those who run I have one thought today - what is it you are really running from? Is it that you fear trusting anyone other than yourself because someone has violated your trust so badly you have declared you will never trust again? Is it that you fear having to 'give up' the things you love to pursue if you become a 'follower' of Christ? Admittedly you will 'give up' some things as you become a follower, but if you will indulge me on this one - the things you 'give up' are nothing compared to what you 'get' in return!

The reason so many choose to live independent of God is because they want to 'live their own way'. I have had a look around at our world today and I am the first to admit - I don't think that plan is working too well for a very large percentage of people! Independent choice is something God gives each and everyone of us. Why? He doesn't want puppets, he wants participants. Individuals who are made up of thousands of unique personalities, all coming together to seek the light. If that doesn't paint a picture for you this morning, let me elaborate a little. When ten people are in a room, seated in different places throughout the room, all the lighting being on, do they see things differently at all in that lighted room? Of course they do because each has a slightly different vantage point from which they are taking in the room. So it is when we come into this relationship with Christ - we don't all become clones of each other. 

God allows us to retain our unique personalities so that we will help each other see his tremendous world from various vantage points. Living in the light doesn't mean we all have to see things identically - we just need to realize light exposes truth and exposes untruth. We don't need to argue over the fine points of 'religion' - because Jesus never called Catholics, Methodists, Protestants, or Jews - he called believers. He called hurting, messed up, and even sick people - into the light so the light could expose and heal. Light isn't to be feared - it is to be felt and embraced - for light doesn't expose to bring harm, but create health once again. Just sayin!

God uses opposites

Light-seeds are planted in the souls of God’s people, Joy-seeds are planted in good heart-soil. (Psalm 97:11)

Seeds are unique to the type of plant from which they come and their purpose is to bring forth growth that is the same as the plant from which they came. You cannot expect to obtain passion fruit from a grapefruit seed, nor grapefruit from a grape seed. To expect something other than what you plant is just plain silly. You might have planted some 'bad seed' and then hoped for a better outcome than what you planted, but that just isn't logical. Maybe this is why God reminds us it is reasonable to expect to harvest what we plant, and we must plant in order to harvest. The one planting seeds is as significant as the seeds being planted - not to mention "where" the seeds are planted - because the outcome is based on both. If God is the planter of the seeds, the harvest is more likely to produce the type of growth which will edify and build us up. He takes great care in planting just the right seeds which will grow into exactly what we need in order to dispel darkness and to increase our joy. These two "seeds" really produce fruit beyond what we may realize at the first blush - probably because of where they are planted. It is in looking at where God does the planting that we find a little insight into the growth which is produced.

Light-seeds are planted in the souls of God's people. Thinking about the soul of man, we might think of the darkness which dwells there when God's light has not invaded the space within. Our souls are where we focus on the connection existing between God and man - the eternal part of our being which will dwell forever either in the presence of God or the fires of hell. The soul is often thought of as where we form our "morals" which guide our every decision. If our soul is shrouded with darkness, the choices we make may be less than "upright". The "morals" we form may be a little "tainted" by our viewpoint - dark places in our soul tend to yield dark actions. Our view (our morals) are made lighter by the seed planted by God's hand. Joy-seeds are planted in good heart-soil. Knowing the heart is the seat of emotion, isn't it awesome God plants "joy-seeds" there? He plants seeds of joy - bringing something to our hearts which all other seed will never quite be able to produce. Joy differs from happiness in that joy is lasting, where happiness is dependent upon the circumstances and the outcomes we experience in life. Joy is totally deep-seated, or shall I say "deep-seeded", buried deep within the heart. Joy is a result of "connection" - the connection of the soil of the heart with the roots of the seeds of JOY God plants deep within the heart. The heart holds both joy and grief. Isn't it truly a work of God to turn places of grief into places of the deepest growth - the seeds of joy producing great growth from within the soil of the grief we experience.

The absence of joy is grief. The opposite of light is darkness. The seeds God plants are exactly the opposite of the condition of the soil in which they are planted. The seeds are planted in the very type of soil where their growth will have the greatest impact. If you have ever seen a plant grow so big as to take over the area in which it was planted, I think this is probably what God has in mind when he plants the seeds of joy in the grief of our soul, or the seed of light into the darkest places of our emotions. We see scripture advising to not expect a harvest if there is never any planting going on. In giving God access to our souls, we are encouraging seeds of light to be planted. In giving him access to our emotions, we are encouraging seeds of joy to be planted. In turn, we can see the harvest they will produce. These are seeds which we cannot plant ourselves, but we can open up to the planting of our heavenly Father's hand. We attempt to plant all kinds of seeds ourselves, but they fall far short of the harvest God intends for our lives. Wouldn't it be wise to allow God to do the planting, in order to have the optimum harvest produced? Just askin!

Abandoned Not

It is during our darkest moments that we must focus to see the light. 

(Aristotle Onassis)

Anyone who meets a testing challenge head-on and manages to stick it out is mighty fortunate. For such persons loyally in love with God, the reward is life and more life. (James 1:12)

Think about one of your 'darkest moments' right now. Maybe it was quite some time ago, or perhaps you are just coming out of that place right now. What did you experience as it started, went on for what seemed like an indefinite period of time, and when it finally ended? If your moment hasn't completely ended, you might just learn something from those of us who have seen the end. The darkest moments of our lives are a time of intense focus - they 're-center' us, don't they? There are hard feelings to endure through those times, and even some awful troubles that we have to overcome, but what we all have in common as we walk through these moments is there is no absence of hope as long as we take Jesus by the hand and allow him to bring us through.

Notice I said he would bring us through - not out of in an instant, but in the endurance of the dark moments - he walks with us through them. We meet the challenge and we only manage to 'stick it out' because we have him taking us through step-by-step. Days will seem darker than ever and our emotions will feel like they are about to do us in as we 'go under' for another round of what seems like unending tests and trials, but in that darkest place of emotional upheaval his hand hold tightly to ours. Leading, guiding, never letting us go into that darkness alone - never abandoning us to our grief, despair, or depression.

Our emotions will attempt to convince us otherwise, but God never abandons us in our darkest places. In fact, he is the ever-beckoning light that is breaking through time and time again when we seem to be 'going under' for who knows how many times. Sticking it out when all we feel is like we are going under again is hard for even the most dedicated believer - sticking it out alone is even harder. When we are going through those darkest moments it is easy to draw back, pull in, and be like snails secure in our own little shell of emotional turmoil. This is not going to help the 'darkness' because that shell only creates more darkness for us!

What we need more than anything in the darkest moments when our emotions are crushing us from the inside out is each other! We need that friend who will not allow us to slip into that darkness, feeling abandoned and all alone. That friend who will remind us we don't walk alone - spiritually and physically. God is with us spiritually - they are with us naturally. Did you ever stop to consider why Jesus didn't just call one disciple? He called twelve because he knew in the darkest moments when they would question everything they knew to be true they would need each other to remind each other of the truth! 

So, the lesson we most may need to learn from the darkest place may just be that we don't stand alone - even when we might believe our emotions that tell us otherwise - we aren't ever abandoned by God and he has provided those around us who will help us rise from the pit once again if we don't retreat from their help and strength! Just sayin!

Oh, you aren't all that big after all!

When the sun is just right, even the smallest subject can cast a huge shadow. The object seems to be 'larger that life', even though it is actually quite small. I stop for periods of time and consider things - sometimes stuff others might just not stop long enough, or consider important enough, to think on.  I began to "ponder" shadows as I am currently in a climate where the sun hasn't been out in days, so no shadows have been cast by the sun. The lights in the condo where I am staying are what affords the shadows right now and it is amazing what you can create from simple objects such as your hands and fingers when the lamplight is reflected upon the wall. As you look at the various shadows, you can ponder what you may be seeing and tell yourself many a story that way!

Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.  (Psalm 23:4 NKJV)

Psalm 23 is one of the most "popular" psalms in the Bible because it is so frequently recited at the graveside - from times way back until common day.  As a means of some comfort, the loved ones are reminded God walks with both their loved ones and them, even in the valley of the SHADOW of death.  Now, I don't know if you have ever experienced any death in your life, but as a nurse, I have seen more than my share.  I don't ever recall a literal "shadow", but I certainly see the "results" of a shadow in these times! Shadows require some light, but they also require something to intersect with the light so that the shadow is cast. 

Shadows have a way of appearing out of almost nowhere, not in the absence of light, but because of the light!  No light - no shadow.  The dawning and brilliance of light brings the evidence of the shadows.  Interestingly, taken to the spiritual side of this equation, you will begin to see no shadow exists in your life apart from the light of Christ exposing it because your life 'intersects' with his. Shadows have a way of reflecting something which is really out of perspective.  Consider your shadow at noon.  Because the light of the sun is right overhead, your shadow is very small - kind of like a really squatty version of you!  At 4 p.m., your shadow may be very long, skinny and taller than reality!  Either way, the "perspective" is a skewed image of the real.  You really are not squatty and small - nor are you an elongated version capable of making headlines in the world record book!  In other words, shadows do not always reflect reality.

Since we understand shadows are based on the perspective we might have related to the "light" in our lives, God is reminding us to focus on the one who gives the light, not on the shadow cast because it does not reflect the reality of the circumstance.  Shadows reflect something real, but just out of right perspective.  A mirror does a much better job of reflecting an image, but it is still not three-dimensional and does not reflect reality.  A shadow only shows us one dimension - limited perspective of reality, just as the mirror. To only focus on the image we see in the mirror, or the one cast in the shadow, will lead us to interpret things from the limited perspective we have.  

We see the "hugeness" of the shadow and assume the "thing" we are viewing is greater than we can overcome.  Our psalmist reminds us, we walk THROUGH the valley of the shadow - it doesn't consume us, it doesn't hold us captive - we get through it when we focus on the light which illuminates and exposes the shadow, not the other way around.  We need the "three-dimensional" viewpoint - only God holds this vantage!  As we begin to see what "casts" the shadow, instead of the shadow, we gain perspective.  Look in the opposite direction of the shadow and you will see the light!

A shadow is merely a dark figure or image cast on the ground or some surface by a body intercepting light.  Get it?  When we actually see something intercepted by light we are seeing the light "stopped" by something in its way.  The shadow is the result of the light coming into contact with the obstacle.  If all we see is the shadow, we will never really understand the object being reflected by the light.  We see some "image", but it may appear larger than life!  I wonder just how many things we "view" from the perspective of "larger than life" simply because we are considering the "shadow" and not the object itself?  Just sayin!