December 21 –– Light Makes a Difference

“Blessed are the people who know the festal shout, who walk, O Lord, in the light of your face,” Psalm 89:15 (ESV)

The subject of light is frequently in our discussions this time of the year. There is great light in the presence of the Lord. We think of the light which shone for the shepherds near Bethlehem that night that Jesus was born.  The Bible clearly shows us that rejection of God and His will results in darkness.  Darkness in this world is caused by denial of God's will and by sin. But with God there is great light which overcomes the darkness. The Gospel of John declares that in Jesus, was the light that was the life He brought to expose the darkness, (John 1:4-5.) That is what the lights of Christmas should remind us of.  When Jesus came to earth there were lights to demonstrate His purpose in coming. His presence in our lives does make such a big difference – like the difference between night and day. Our verse reminds us to walk in the light of His presence and promises a real blessing if we do.  Remember we have our festal shout out at Christmas. It was when Jesus came to be our Savior and His promise is to be with us daily. 

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March 12 – Acknowledge His Presence

“Blessed are those who have learned to acclaim you, who walk in the light of your presence, Lord.”   Psalm 89:15 (NIV)

In this verse there is a promise of real spiritual blessing from God and this promise is for us if we fulfill two requirements.  In the first place, we can expect great blessing from God when we learn to acclaim Him.  To acclaim our God is to recognize who He is, to acknowledge Him as our Lord God, and to praise Him in our thinking and also by words that we uses.  We learn to acclaim the Lord as we realize how great and how loving He is and as we lift up words of praise to Him from our hearts.  The second promise of blessing comes true in our lives as we realize how near God is to us and how closely involved He is in our lives.  God is near enough to light our path with His very presence.  This affects how we live and makes His blessings real to each day.  Let's not forget that He is near to us as we trust in Him today.

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December 19 – Light Makes a Difference

“Blessed are those who have learned to acclaim you, who walk in the light of your presence, Lord.” Psalm 89:15 (NIV)

There is great light in the presence of the Lord. We think of the light which shone for the shepherds near Bethlehem that night that Jesus was born.  The Bible clearly shows us that there is darkness in this world caused by rejection of God's will and by sin. But with God there is great light which overcomes the darkness. That is what the lights of Christmas should remind us of.  When Jesus came to earth there were lights to demonstrate His purpose in coming. His presence in our lives does make such a big difference – like the difference between night and day. Our verse reminds us to walk in the light of His presence and promises a real blessing if we do.  Remember that at Christmas, Jesus came to be our Savior and His promise is to be with us daily. 

June 7

“Blessed are those who have learned to acclaim you, who walk in the light of your presence, Lord.”  Psalm 89:15 (NIV)

We notice that a special blessing is promised to those who have learned a lesson which God is anxious to teach us. And what is the lesson we need to learn? We need to learn to acclaim God, to praise Him, to give Him the honor which He deserves. We are so apt to give ourselves the credit for things we do. When we do that we lose the blessing that God has promised. He is the One who is working in our lives. He gives us wisdom. He gives us abilities. He helps us live in the way that pleases Him. He even helps us to acclaim Him. Let us keep this promise in mind and look to God to help us give Him the honor He deserves.