November 20 – Nothing Will Be Left Undone

“I will lead the blind by a way they do not know, In paths they do not know I will guide them. I will make darkness into light before them And rugged places into plains. These are the things I will do, And I will not leave them undone.” -  Isaiah 42:16 (NASB)

 

The blind are promised a guide; He is God. Those who do not know the way He promises to guide them. These are the spiritually blind and they have no means or power or even will to seek and find this way to God. Only God can give them the sight to believe by faith and follow the right path. Our God is anxious to help us as we live our lives here on earth. Notice that He promises to lead us along unfamiliar paths. Is it dark in our life? God will provide the light we need because in Him there is no darkness. Are the circumstances of our lives make for rough going? God will smooth them out had help us through it.  Look at the last two lines, “These are the things I do, and I do not forsake them.” Our God shows us where to step and which way to turn. He is our guide through difficult times, lonely times, sorrowful times, and frightening times. During times of loss or when evil threatens us God is with us, He promises to not forsake us. He is the light on our dark and unfamiliar paths.

 

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November 11 – From Whom Comes Victory

“For by their own sword they did not possess the land, And their own arm did not save them, But Your right hand and Your arm and the light of Your presence, For You favored them.”  Psalm 44:3 (NASB)

It’s Veterans Day in the United States. On this day we honor those who have served in our armed forces. One of the ways that the Children of Israel preserved their history and it’s stories was in songs.  Psalm 44 is a song written for the purpose of remembering what God had done for them in securing the Promised Land and to offer up prayer and thanksgiving to God.  It was good for them to remember that God was the one giving them the victory.  Although God is Spirit this song says uses terms we can visualize. His right hand, His arm, and the light of His face, protects and providentially cares for us out of His love for us.  We can rejoice that God is the same today and Christians around the globe are God's children and members of His family wherever we are.  He cares for us and watches over us just as He did for the people of Israel.  As we reflect we can remember the ways God has intervened in our lives and it is by His grace and power and wisdom that we make it through day by day.

 

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October 12 – What We Imagine We Know

 “And the city has no need of the sun or of the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God has illumined it, and its lamp is the Lamb. The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it.” – Revelation 21:23-24 (NASB)

The past few days we have been sort of looking toward Heaven. We considered in part the question, “What is Heaven?” It’s God’s abode, where He is with believers and Old Testament saint. Yesterday, the question “Where is Heaven” was answered by saying “It is Up” because that is how the Bible speaks of it and of those who come and go to heaven.  Did you ever hear the saying “He’s so heavenly minded he’s no earthly good?” Is that still true or might we today say it in reverse? Today we ask “What is Heaven like?” Not easy to answer but we have glimpses. Revelation 3:12 says there’s a temple in heaven that the saints never leave, Revelation 7:15 for it is immense, infinite, eternal and God Himself is its Light,.  John sees a vision of the New Jerusalem descend out of  Heaven He sees the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. What kind of temple is it that God in eternal heaven spreads over all His people?  It is His Presence which is why the saints – that will be faith believers – will never leave. For that, Let’s Imagine and rejoice with thanksgiving!  

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June 17 – Best Prepared

“The LORD is my light and my salvation;
        whom shall I fear?
The LORD is the stronghold of my life;
        of whom shall I be afraid?”  - Psalm 27:1 (ESV)

Among in the promises we find in today’s verse are three that we of have from the LORD as our light, our salvation, and our stronghold. This word translated ‘stronghold’ in the original Hebrew text is used int the Old Testament for many different kinds of defensive places provided for us from God. The original meanings include:  refuge, fortress, sanctuary, fortified, secure position, high point, mountain stronghold, and even ramparts. We reflect on how the psalmist declares God as not merely giving us light but that He is light within us, light around us, light reflected from us, and light to be revealed to us. The psalmist does not just say that the Lord gives light but that He is light. Neither does this passage just say God give us salvation but that He is salvation. By faith given to us from God, we have believed and receive all these blessings as our possessions. Romans 8:31 reflects on the words in this psalm, “Whom shall I fear?” For our future and present, “If God is for us, who can be against us.”  We are prepared by God for anything either now, or in the time to come.

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February 19 – When Darkness Is Not

“If I say, “Surely the darkness will overwhelm me, And the light around me will be night,” Even the darkness is not dark to You, And the night is as bright as the day. Darkness and light are alike to You.”  - Psalm 139:11-12 (NASB)

I’m sure we all have heard someone say, “I was in a very dark place then.” We know they might mean that their spirit was not at peace with their world or have lost their way. We might use that metaphor to express our frame of mind sometimes. Circumstances may be so difficult we struggle with coping and it’s difficult to choose a better way. Our mood is overwhelming. King David understood such predicaments. We're promised here that even when our world is dark and we can’t see light, God can see it for us. When our light is dark as the night of a new moon that darkness is not dark to our God. When those time come over us like a monster wave coming suddenly and unexpectedly we can choose to trust God’s promise that it is not dark for Him. The darkest place we might be is bright as the day in God. Actually there is no difference between darkness and light in God for in him there is no darkness existing. He can see and watch over us during our darkest times and He promises to guide us with the light of His Word. 

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December 18 – Expelling the Darkness

“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 (NASB)

 

The story we remember and celebrate at this time of the year is the birth of Jesus on Earth when he emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, being made in the likeness of men. He did so in order to offer redemption and salvation to all who believed in Him. Today’s promise comes from another of Jesus’ “I AM” statements recorded by the Holy Spirit through the Gospel of the Apostle John. Those who do like darkness do so to hide their actions. True darkness is the absence of light. Remove the light and what remains is darkness. We all understand this. If we want to expel the darkness from a room, we turn on the light switch that we have faith will cause energy to flow to a light source. In the same way Jesus says to us to follow Him because He is eternal light. In Him there is no darkness and from Him we have the Light of life, eternal life. Following is an act of faith and the Light is an act of Grace and the ability to do so, it a gift promised from God.

 

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November 27 – Our Light Within

“For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory displayed in the face of Christ.” 2 Corinthians 4:6 (NIV) 

Our Father in heaven has done so very much for us. He is the God of light in many ways and our verse reminds us that He brings that light into our hearts. The Apostle Paul makes a direct reference to God as Creator, who commanded physical light into existence (Genesis 1:3). The God who created physical light in the universe creates supernatural light in the soul and bring believers from the kingdom of darkness to His kingdom of light (Colossians 1:13). The light is expressed as “the knowledge of the glory of God.” That means to know that Christ is God incarnate. To be saved, one must understand that the glory of God shone in Jesus Christ and He drives darkness from our lives. Isn't it wonderful to know that we don't have to live in that darkness or with it in our hearts? God has made his light shine in our hearts and it is a glorious light for us who have believed. Be encouraged today as you recognize that God is a God of glory and He wants us to know of His glory. It is a promise that will bring light to our hearts and to our lives.

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November 20 – Leading and Guiding

“I will lead the blind by a way they do not know, In paths they do not know I will guide them. I will make darkness into light before them And rugged places into plains. These are the things I will do, And I will not leave them undone.” -  Isaiah 42:16 (NASB) 

Remember observing how a blind person manages their way around their world? It’s amazing what one can do when it has to be done. In a very real sense we are all blinded by different things at times in our lives. We who believe in Jesus also need help understanding finding the right path in our lives. When we encounter strange paths God promises to help us. In the dark places He promises to guide us and He turns on the light we need. We all face situations which are new and different or are problematic and we especially need wisdom to navigate our decision process. Now and then we just can't see a way out and we need God to guide us, He opens our eyes and chases the darkness away. Our Father God promises to smooth out rough places and show us where to step. He promises to be our guide through times that are difficult, lonely, sorrowful, frightening times and when we have simply lost our way. During times of personal loss or when evil threatens us, God is with us. He will not forsake us. He is a lamp for our feet in the dark.

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October 28 – Following the Light out of Darkness

“Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” – John 8:12 (ESV)

In the Old Testament the coming age of Messiah was prophesied to be a time when the Lord God would be a light for His people (Isaiah 60:19–22) as well as for the whole earth (Isaiah 42:6; 49:6). This is the second “I am” statement. Previously Jesus declared Himself “I am the Bread of Life.” John used the “light” metaphor for Jesus in John 1:4; “In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men.” The promise is for those who will follow the Light of the World. Follow Jesus and we will not walk in darkness. Follow Jesus and we will have the Light of Life because that is what Jesus is. Follow Jesus and have Jesus himself as our light in this life. We follow by knowing and understanding the Bible and what it teaches us about life. The promises of God come to life in the light of the world, Jesus Christ, Savior and Lord. Some choose to ignore this lite and remain in darkness because in truth, without Christ in our lives, there is only spiritual darkness. Let’s walk in the Light by choosing in faith to follow the Light of Life, Jesus our Savior. 

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September 27 – Making Light of a Burden

“Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” – Matthew 11:29-30 (NASB)

We don’t see yokes on beasts of burden much if ever. But in many countries we still would. There was a time when every plowed acre used an animal in yoke. Single and sometimes two side-by-side in a double yoke. It is the double yoke that Jesus offered when he gave us this promise. He promised he was gentle, humble, and His yoke was easy and the burden was light. How can this be? The purpose of a double-yoke was to halve the work of towing or plowing. Two cattle pulling a plow or wagon made the job easier and lighter for both. Yokes were not only for agriculture but also used on slaves who worked towing a full cart. When two worked side by side, the stronger more experienced helped trained the weaker to do the job. In our Christian life we are in a yoke with Jesus. It is by His strength and power that we are able to accomplish what He commands us to do. When life is so very heavy and our burdens weigh heavy on us, remember the promise, Jesus is there giving us strength and ability to believe and trust Him. 

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July 25 – Here We’re To Walk

“…but if we walk in the Light as He Himself is in the Light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin..” -  1 John 1:7 (NASB)

Today we have a promise that is wondrously great! Yesterday our verse and blog focused on David’s plea for forgiveness and cleansing from God after his sins of adultery and murder. But we know from the record in the Bible that David was one who walked in the Light of God – which our verse talks about today. God knows perfectly well that during our time on earth and until we depart this world and go to heaven, we will face temptations. We will actually commit sins for which we need forgiveness and cleansing. Any person who has by faith from God, believed in Jesus, is a genuine Christian, (a faith believer) and does not walk in darkness but only in the Light, and cleansing from sin continually occurs. As genuine Christians we walk in the Light (truth and holiness); we do not walk in darkness (falsehood and sin). To habitually walk in the Light means we share in the character of God because we permanently abide in Him and He in us. We will be consistently characterized by His holiness (3 John 11), revealing our true fellowship with God.

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March 26 - I AM The Light

Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” - John 8:12 (ESV)

If we could travel through time and found ourselves in the past, the time of Genesis 1:1, we would not be able to see anything at all. The earth was formless with nothing but deep darkness covering it.  It was the Son of God, Creator of all things* who created light by speaking it into existence and separated the light from the darkness. If we understand this we’ll recognize that Jesus Christ, who spoke the promises in this verse for today, is the one and same Son of God who created all including light for the world. Christ is the Light of the world. God is light, and Christ is the visible image of God. One sun enlightens the whole world; so does one Christ, and there needs to be no more. What a dark dungeon would be the world without our sun! So would life be be without Jesus, by whom light came into the world. Those who follow Christ shall not walk in darkness. We shall are not left without THE TRUTHS necessary to keep us from destructive the path and provide directions in the way necessary to keep them from condemning sin. 

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*(John 1:1-5; Colossians 1:15-17)

March 11 – From Darkness to Light.

“For He rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.” – Colossians 1:13-14  (NASB)

Recently many thousands of people in the United States were in darkness because of no electricity. Don’t we all prefer being in the light to being in darkness?  Being filled with spiritual wisdom and understanding of God, transforms our lives and rescues us from darkness. We are promised wonderful results by following God’s will.  Two outcomes from a God-pleasing life are bearing fruit and increasing in knowledge (Col 1:10). Spiritual strength can be considered a third factor that results from knowing God’s will and pleasing Him (Col 1:11). Thankfulness, a keynote in our spiritual life, is a fourth result (Col 1:12). Plus, the promises in today’s passage. God transfers us out of the dominion of darkness, which is the domain of Satan. It happens to us the moment we receive redemption and forgiveness from our life of sin and the stubborn rebellion which is sin itself.  We now possess inheritance reserved for us in the kingdom of light which is Jesus Christ. We like particularly this word in verse 13, ‘rescued,’ which gives us the picture of being snatched out of danger and assurance that we are out of peril and are now safe and secure in God’s family. 

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February 12 – No Cause, No One to Fear

“The Lord is my light and my salvation; Whom should I fear?  The Lord is the defense of my life; Whom should I dread?”  Psalm 27:1 (NASB)

 

What would you be willing to do or give up to be completely free of fear, dread, and worry in your life?  There are so many things that we fear. Physical conditions, financial situations, civil and political influences, and we could go on and on.  We would not run out of items to put on such a list. But we have a promise that we find in this Psalm of David and it is a promise that we can have fearless trust in God our Lord and Savior. Fear does not come from God although we are instructed to “fear God” because He is the only one and our fear of God is due to His awesome power and sovereignty over all things. But because we belong to God we need not fear anything else. The Lord shows us the way and we have been saved by the Son of God who sacrificed and gave himself up for us. Truly, there is nothing or no one left with power to frighten us.  God is our defense, we have no one left to dread. Let’s be aware that worry is how we exhibit dread in our life.  

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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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November 27 – Our Light Within

“For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.”  2 Corinthians 4:6 (ESV)  

Our Father in heaven has done so very much for us. Our Bible verse today reminds us of one of His acts that has affected our lives in a meaningful way. That act is God’s creation of light in the very beginning. He is a God of light in many ways and our verse reminds us that He brings light into our hearts. Without the light of God in our lives we are filled with darkness. In the beginning when the foundations of the world were created, the dark world was lit up when God said, ‘Let there be light’. More exactly, daytime was distinguished from nighttime by the creation of light. Without light, there is only darkness. We can know how wonderful it is that we don't have to live in that darkness or with it in our hearts? God has made his light shine in our hearts and it is a glorious light for us who have believed. Let’s be encouraged today as we recognize that God is a God of glory and He wants us to know of His glory. It is a promise that will bring light to our hearts and to our lives.

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November 20 – “It’s A Wrap!”

“For you are all children of light, children of the day. We are not of the night or of the darkness. So then let us not sleep, as others do, but let us keep awake and be sober.”  1 Thessalonians 5:5-6 (ESV)

In these verses from Paul's letter to the believers in Thessalonica, he gives a direct warning. We might say stern warning as he does not want us to be unaware. “Let us keep awake and be sober.” Yes, sober as opposed to drunk. Also sober as in having control of our thoughts and mind. Being alert and not dull and unaware that The Day is coming. Paul compares those of us who believe as being ‘of the light’ and those who do not as being ‘of darkness’. So our promise is that because we are not of the night or the darkness, we are to not fall asleep on the watch but be awake and of sound mind. One day, God will call out to this world “It’s a wrap,” the call a crew heard when we were done with a production. But when God chooses to “wrap it up” that will be the day of fulfillment. For all who have believed in Jesus Christ and persevere in faith are saved. We will be spared the wrath coming to the unbelievers.  Just as it says in verse 11, “We encourage one another and build one another up.”

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October 22 – When Darkness is a Bright Day

“If I say, “Surely the darkness will overwhelm me, And the light around me will be night,” Even the darkness is not dark to You, And the night is as bright as the day. Darkness and light are alike to You.”  Psalm 139:11–12 (NASB)

It is both normal and expected that we will encounter days of darkness, fear, depression, anxiety and feelings of hopelessness. Our enemy is constantly trying to sink us into such traps and pits. This Psalm of David is astounding when we think of what it says about our God. There is nowhere where God is not. In our verses today we have a promise that darkness, when we encounter it, is unable to separate us from God because God does not experience darkness and we are with Him as He is with us. When we are experiencing the worst of days and the darkest of emotions, God is with us able to turn that darkness into light as bright as a sun filled day. How? By being our Son-filled day. And because to God, darkness and light have no difference. This promises us that we can function and we can be thankful and we can praise God even in our darkest time. God is with us all the time and with Him our darkness is overcome and we are not overwhelmed by it. Our darkness is not dark to Him. 

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September 11 – Qualified by God Alone

“giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified us to share in the inheritance of the saints in Light.”  Colossians 1:12 (NASB)

In the writings of Paul which were inspired by the Holy Spirit and became part of our complete Bible today, Paul often wrote long sentences filled doctrine and truth.  The larger passage from where our verse comes today, Colossians 1:9-12 is a compound sentence 100 or more words. Paul promises to pray for for the Colossians and thus for us, to: 

• be filled with knowledge of God’s will, 
• for spiritual wisdom and understanding, 
• walk worthy of our Lord, 
• be pleasing our Lord in everything, 
• be bearing fruit, 
• be doing good work, 
• be increasing in knowledge of God, 
• be strengthened with all power equal to His glorious might, 
• which produces steadfastness and patience, 
• be joyously giving thanks, 
• for being qualified by the Father to share in the inheritance. 

In fact all of these requests are given to us by God. We do nothing that will qualify us to inherit what saints (believers) possess by being transferred from darkness to God’s Eternal Light. That is our promise –our Father God, who we joyfully give thanks to, did all the work of qualifying us to have a share of Jesus Christ’s inheritance. 

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August 31 – Light Giver and Keeper

“For it is you who light my lamp; the Lord my God lightens my darkness.”  Psalm 18:28 (ESV)

A good number of the Psalms written by David expressed how he felt about what God had promised. Psalm 18 was written and spoken to the Lord in song when David was delivered by God from the hand of King Saul who wanted to kill him.  It reminds us of how much God is involved in our lives. There is so much darkness in this world and it seems to be getting darker. Our reaction might be despair and fear. We are challenged to not become lost in the darkness and when we become children of God by faith in His Son Jesus as our Savior.  We begin to see the difference and to see things in a different way, as God gives us light that overcomes darkness. Just as David realized that God continues to work in our lives – we learn it is day by day and year by year. When darkness tempts us to be overcome by the darkness around us and tempts us to give up, then we remember the promise that our Lord is the keeper of our light He keeps our lamp burning. Let's thank God today for the light he has given to us.

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