The One and Only
Today’s Passage – Isaiah 44 – 47 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – click here to view the text)
(Second Milers also read – John 11 – 12; Psalms 41 – 45; Proverbs 9)
Scripture Memory for July – John 3:1 – 21
Listen to this morning’s Scripture song –1 John 3:1
Read a previous post from this passage – “Custom Design”
“Fear ye not, neither be afraid: have not I told thee from that time, and have declared it? ye are even my witnesses. Is there a God beside me? yea, there is no God; I know not any.” – (Isaiah 44:8)
“I am the LORD, and there is none else, there is no God beside me: I girded thee, though thou hast not known me:” – (Isaiah 45:5)
“That they may know from the rising of the sun, and from the west, that there is none beside me. I am the LORD, and there is none else.” – (Isaiah 45:6)
“Thus saith the LORD, The labour of Egypt, and merchandise of Ethiopia and of the Sabeans, men of stature, shall come over unto thee, and they shall be thine: they shall come after thee; in chains they shall come over, and they shall fall down unto thee, they shall make supplication unto thee, saying, Surely God is in thee; and there is none else, there is no God.” – (Isaiah 45:14)
“For thus saith the LORD that created the heavens; God himself that formed the earth and made it; he hath established it, he created it not in vain, he formed it to be inhabited: I am the LORD; and there is none else.” – (Isaiah 45:18)
“Tell ye, and bring them near; yea, let them take counsel together: who hath declared this from ancient time? who hath told it from that time? have not I the LORD? and there is no God else beside me; a just God and a Saviour; there is none beside me.” – (Isaiah 45:21)
“Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth: for I am God, and there is none else.” – (Isaiah 45:22)
“Remember the former things of old: for I am God, and there is none else; I am God, and there is none like me,” – (Isaiah 46:9)
Did you notice all of the times in Isaiah 44 – 46 that God declares that He is the only God. I really like what God said in Isaiah 44:8 – “I know not any”. If God who is omniscient doesn’t know of any other God, then there isn’t any. If God is the only God, then why are so many people worshipping other “gods”, and even other things. Most people worship themselves, but some worship their children; some their careers; some even worship other people. Their are a myriad of things out there that people bow to, but God is the only One that is worthy of worship, because He is the only true God.
And if He is the only true God, then:
1 His Word is the only truth.
“Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.” – (John 17:17)
2 His Way for man’s salvation is the only way to Heaven (see Why Jesus?)
“Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” – (John 14:6)
“Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.” – (Acts 4:12)
3 His Work can only be organized through His Church
“And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” – (Matthew 16:18)
“But if I tarry long, that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth.” – (1 Timothy 3:15)
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Tired of God?
Today’s Passage – Isaiah 41 – 43 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – click here to view the text)
(Second Milers also read – John 9 – 10 ; Psalms 36 – 40; Proverbs 8)
“But thou hast not called upon me, O Jacob; but thou hast been weary of me, O Israel.” (Isaiah 43:22)
“Thou hast bought me no sweet cane with money, neither hast thou filled me with the fat of thy sacrifices: but thou hast made me to serve with thy sins, thou hast wearied me with thine iniquities.” (Isaiah 43:24)
I often use the phrase, “sick and tired”. I frequently say that I am sick and tired about this, or sick and tired about that. We read the phrase in Isaiah 43:22, “thou hast been weary of me”; and then again in v 24, “thou hast wearied me”. It sounds to me like the people were saying that they were sick and tired of God; and then God was saying that He was sick and tired of their sin.
This passage was written referring to Israel. I am not quite sure if in this particular reference the term Israel is used for just the northern kingdom, or if it refers corporately to the entire 12 tribes. At any case, the first several verses imply that God had an unconditional love for this people even though they had rebelled against Him over and over again in their history. There were times when they loved and served God; and then there were times when they were “sick and tired”.
Can you identify with the people of Israel? I know we don’t like to think that we could be rebellious like them; but did you ever get sick and tired of God? I don’t know if you would admit to being tired of God, but how about being tired of the things of God? Did you ever get sick and tired of going to all of the church services? Did you ever get sick and tired of reading your Bible, or listening to the same preacher preach the same message over and over again, or praying, or perhaps all of the standards; etc. I have. But then I remember that though God gets sick and tired of my sin, He never gets sick and tired of me. I am reminded that God loves me unconditionally, and that causes me to be refreshed and revived in my love and devotion for Him. It’s normal to go through some periods of time where the Christian life gets a lttle “blah”, but don’t allow yourself to get to the point where you just dread serving God. Get out of the rut, and get back to where you were when the Christian life was exciting and fresh. Perhaps you just need to encourage yourself in the Lord, as David did; but whatever you do, don’t quit, because if you do, your “sick and tired” condition will only get worse. Pray about it; stay in the Book until you get a nugget of truth from God; make a difference in someone else’s life; listen to some motivational and encouraging preaching; get counsel from a spiritual friend; do whatever it takes to get yourself back up again. We all need to be revived at times in our spiritual walk.
Posted in Thoughts from Isaiah by Phil Erickson with 1 comment.
Just For Ladies – by Camille Stahl
Today’s Passage – Isaiah 37 – 40 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – click here to view the text)
(Second Milers also read – John 7 – 8; Psalms 31 – 35; Proverbs 7)
Scripture Memory for July – John 3:1 – 21
Listen to this morning’s Scripture song –Ephesians 4:32
The Study of Women in the Bible
Rahab, A Harlot With Great Faith
“And Joshua the son of Nun sent out of Shittim two men to spy secretly, saying, Go view the land, even Jericho. And they went, and came into an harlot’s house, named Rahab, and lodged there. And it was told the king of Jericho, saying, Behold, there came men in hither to night of the children of Israel to search out the country. And the king of Jericho sent unto Rahab, saying, Bring forth the men that are come to thee, which are entered into thine house: for they be come to search out all the country. And the woman took the two men, and hid them, and said thus, There came men unto me, but I wist not whence they were: And it came to pass about the time of shutting of the gate, when it was dark, that the men went out: whither the men went I wot not: pursue after them quickly; for ye shall overtake them. But she had brought them up to the roof of the house, and hid them with the stalks of flax, which she had laid in order upon the roof. And the men pursued after them the way to Jordan unto the fords: and as soon as they which pursued after them were gone out, they shut the gate. And before they were laid down, she came up unto them upon the roof; And she said unto the men, I know that the LORD hath given you the land, and that your terror is fallen upon us, and that all the inhabitants of the land faint because of you. For we have heard how the LORD dried up the water of the Red sea for you, when ye came out of Egypt; and what ye did unto the two kings of the Amorites, that were on the other side Jordan, Sihon and Og, whom ye utterly destroyed. And as soon as we had heard these things, our hearts did melt, neither did there remain any more courage in any man, because of you: for the LORD your God, he is God in heaven above, and in earth beneath. Now therefore, I pray you, swear unto me by the LORD, since I have shewed you kindness, that ye will also shew kindness unto my father’s house, and give me a true token: And that ye will save alive my father, and my mother, and my brethren, and my sisters, and all that they have, and deliver our lives from death. And the men answered her, Our life for yours, if ye utter not this our business. And it shall be, when the LORD hath given us the land, that we will deal kindly and truly with thee. Then she let them down by a cord through the window: for her house was upon the town wall, and she dwelt upon the wall. And she said unto them, Get you to the mountain, lest the pursuers meet you; and hide yourselves there three days, until the pursuers be returned: and afterward may ye go your way. And the men said unto her, We will be blameless of this thine oath which thou hast made us swear. Behold, when we come into the land, thou shalt bind this line of scarlet thread in the window which thou didst let us down by: and thou shalt bring thy father, and thy mother, and thy brethren, and all thy father’s household, home unto thee. And it shall be, that whosoever shall go out of the doors of thy house into the street, his blood shall be upon his head, and we will be guiltless: and whosoever shall be with thee in the house, his blood shall be on our head, if any hand be upon him. And if thou utter this our business, then we will be quit of thine oath which thou hast made us to swear. And she said, According unto your words, so be it. And she sent them away, and they departed: and she bound the scarlet line in the window.” (Joshua 2:1-21)
“By faith the harlot Rahab perished not with them that believed not, when she had received the spies with peace.” (Hebrews 11:31)
Good morning and welcome back to the Tuesday Ladies Bible Study. For this study, the Lord has impressed upon me to blog about Rahab. Many times, women feel unworthy to serve the Lord. We have the mindset of ‘how can God love someone like me?’ He does, and Rahab is a great example.
The Bible pulls no punches when it comes to the hard facts about Rahab. She was a harlot: someone who sold her body for money. Some try to sugar-coat this fact by saying she was an innkeeper, which may be true, but she was still a harlot. The spies may have gone to Rahab’s place to stay. She discovered that they were Israelites. She knew about what happened to Egypt at the Red Sea, and heard that God was going to give the Israelites the city of Jericho. It took faith to hide the spies. She trusted their word that she and her household would be saved. One definition of faith is a profound trust in God and His Word. Rahab had this kind of faith. God honored Rahab, along with Sarah: the only two women mentioned in Hebrews chapter 11: the heroes of the faith.
There are two things I would like to look at that we can apply to us today. First is Rahab’s faith. We must be in God’s word daily. I know I always mention about Bible reading, but how can we know His word unless we read it.
“Give us this day our daily bread..”. (Matthew 6:11)
If you are not reading at all, start with a few verses. Read a little, increase a little. A great tool to use is the Bible reading on the blog. Not only do you get to read it, but you get to hear it as well. We must believe and trust in His word. I know this is sometimes easier said then done. My faith and trust was shaky at times during this past year or so, but God repeatedly showed His love to me.
“I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.” (Hebrews 13:5)
The second point is that God is no respecter of persons. If Jesus is your Saviour, your past is in the past. He remembers our sin no more.
“As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us.” (Psalms 103:12)
You’re a Princess because you’re a child of the King. God loves us all equally. Don’t let your past hinder you from serving Him. God can do great things through you if you stay faithful and allow Him to. Rahab’s story continued after Jericho. She found God. She no longer worked as a harlot. She lived among the Jewish people. She married Salmon and had a child. She was the great-grandmother of King David.
“And Salmon begat Booz of Rachab; and Booz begat Obed of Ruth; and Obed begat Jesse; And Jesse begat David the king;… “ (Matthew 1:5-6)
She is in the lineage of Jesus Christ. You say a harlot? Yes.
If you don’t know Jesus as your Saviour, I highly suggest you go to the churches website www.jerseyshorebaptist.com and click on “Why Jesus”. Jesus is waiting for you with His out-stretched arms. He is willing to forgive and love you, just as He did Rahab. God wants to use you too!
For the young abandoned husband, left alone without a reason – For the Pilgrim in the the city where there is no home – For the son without a father, for his solitary mother – I have a message – He sees you – He knows you – He loves you – Every heart that is breaking tonight – Is the heart of a child, that He holds in his sight – And oh how He longs, to hold in His arms – Every heart that is breaking tonight – For the precious fallen daughter, for her devastated father – For the prodigal who’s dying in a strange new way – For the child who’s always hungry – For the Patriot with no country – I have a message – He sees you – He knows you – He loves you – Jesus loves you – Every heart that is breaking tonight – Is the heart of a child, that He holds in his sight – And oh how He longs, to hold in His arms – Every heart that is breaking tonight.
Every Heart That Is Breaking – A song by Twila Paris
Start fresh today and leave the past in the past.
Thank You
1 John 5:13 – 14
Posted in Devotions, Just for Ladies by Phil Erickson with no comments yet.
Streams in the Desert
Today’s Passage – Isaiah 33 – 36 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – click here to view the text)
“The wilderness and the solitary place shall be glad for them; and the desert shall rejoice, and blossom as the rose.” (Isaiah 35:2)
“Then shall the lame man leap as an hart, and the tongue of the dumb sing: for in the wilderness shall waters break out, and streams in the desert.” (Isaiah 35:6)
In Lancaster, California, on the campus of West Coast Baptist College near the Sisk Dormitory, there is a fountain with Isaiah 35:6 inscribed on it. It sits there as a testimony to the goodness and blessing of God. 25 years ago in that same location there was nothing but desert. Some would have called it a “dust bowl” back then; but now it is a beautiful campus with beautiful green landscaping and gorgeous buildings. More importantly, it is a place where God’s Spirit is moving in a great way; and many people are being saved and trained to serve the Lord.
Isaiah 35 tells us about the Millennial Kingdom of the Lord Jesus Christ where He will rule and reign on the earth. There will be a lot of changes during that time period; but it is safe to say that it will be a glorious time to live on the earth. The desert will literally blossom as the rose. Isaiah encourages the people of Israel often by reminding them of this future period of peace and prosperity. The saved of today will rule and reign with Christ during this time. What a wonderful God we serve!
We don’t have to wait until the Millennium to experience this bliss, however. We can have it right now. When Jesus taught us the model prayer, He said, thy kingdom come on earth as it is in Heaven. I believe that we can have a little slice of the Millenial Kingdom in our lives right now:
“…I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.” John 10:10
“But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.” (John 4:14)
“He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.” (John 7:38)
The life of the Christian who is yielded to the will of God, and filled with the Spirit of God is an oasis in the midst of a dry and barren land. Jesus said that He would fill those that are thirsting for Him. Perhaps the reason why so many of God’s people do not experience this type of spiritual refreshing is because they are hungering and thirsting after the things of this world rather than the things that are eternal. Christian, our lives ought to be overflowing with the fruits of the Spirit and the water of life. Perhaps if we were, we just might cause the arid world around us to be thirsty for God.
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Trust in the Lord
Today’s Passage – Isaiah 29 – 32 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – click here to view the text)
(Second Milers also read – John 3 – 4; Psalms 21 – 25; Proverbs 5)
Scripture Memory for July – John 3:1 – 21
Listen to this morning’s Scripture song –Matthew 6:33
Read a previous post from this passage – “All Talk”
Read “Baptists and the Holy Spirit” by Paul Chappell
“Woe to them that go down to Egypt for help; and stay on horses, and trust in chariots, because they are many; and in horsemen, because they are very strong; but they look not unto the Holy One of Israel, neither seek the LORD!” – (Isaiah 31:1)
“Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.” – (Proverbs 3:5 & 6 KJV)
In our passage today, God is warning the people of Judah not to place their trust in the nation of Egypt for protection, but rather to place their trust in Him. The context of this passage was most likely during the reign of King Hezekiah. During his time as king, Judah was threatened by the Assyrian army; and apparently Isaiah was tempted to hire the Egyptians to come and help him. God warned Hezekiah to put his trust in Him, and not look to Egypt for help.
Throughout the Bible, Egypt is a picture or type of the world. God is very clear hat we as Christians are not to place our trust, nor our affections, in the world:
“Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.” – (1 John 2:15-17)
“And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.” – (Romans 12:2)
It has always amazed me that so many Christians will seek the world’s help when they are in trouble, and will also follow the world’s advice when faced with making decisions. A good example of this is in the area of child-rearing. The Bible is filled with principles regarding what we should do when raising children, yet we will often listen to the advice of the secular “wise men” even though their advice is totally contrary to what God told us in His Word. The world says that we shouldn’t spank our children, yet God is clear that we ought to lovingly use corporal punishment when training our kids. This is just one area where we often trust what the world says rather than what God commands. There are many other examples that I could cite, but I think you get the idea.
Whose advice do you listen to? Do you believe what God says, or not? We need to place our trust in God, and His Word. He knows what is best for us:
“Know ye that the LORD he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.” – (Psalm 100:3)
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Cleaning House – The Saturday Morning Post by Pastor Ted Stahl
Good morning. Does your shed look like mine? I just cleaned it out a few weeks ago. It’s just a little cluttered. I mean you CAN walk around in it if you pull a few things out. Sometimes we get too bogged down with clutter. Not just in our sheds, but in our lives too. The clutter in our lives can cause us to loose focus on the things of life that are really important. Jesus was great at removing clutter. We find this in John chapter 2…
“And the Jews’ passover was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem, And found in the temple those that sold oxen and sheep and doves, and the changers of money sitting: And when he had made a scourge of small cords, he drove them all out of the temple, and the sheep, and the oxen; and poured out the changers’ money, and overthrew the tables; And said unto them that sold doves, Take these things hence; make not my Father’s house an house of merchandise. And his disciples remembered that it was written, The zeal of thine house hath eaten me up.” (John 2:13-17)
Sometimes we just need to clean house, clean the temple that God gave us to be a steward over. “What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.” (1Cor 6:19-20)
What can we do? Clean house. We need to get rid of the garbage, the clutter which has crept into our lives…
SPIRITUALLY. Philippians 4:6-7 says, “Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”
MENTALLY. Philippians 4:8 tells us, “Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.”
PHYSICALLY. In Philippians 4:9 Paul wrote, “Those things, which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do: and the God of peace shall be with you.
Peace. (Philippians 4:6-9)
Posted in Devotions by Phil Erickson with no comments yet.
A House Divided
Today’s Passage – Isaiah 19 – 23 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – click here to view the text)
(Second Milers also read – Luke 23 – 24; Psalms 11 – 15; Proverbs 3)
Scripture Memory for July – John 3:1 – 21
Listen to this morning’s Scripture song –Micah 6:8
“And I will set the Egyptians against the Egyptians: and they shall fight every one against his brother, and every one against his neighbour; city against city, and kingdom against kingdom.” (Isaiah 19:2)
“And if a house be divided against itself, that house cannot stand.” (Mark 3;25)
As we read through this portion of the Book of Isaiah, we see that God is pronouncing judgment on all of the nations that have been enemies to God and His people Israel. In chapter 19, we see that God is dealing specifically with the Egyptians. The Egyptians had been an enemy to the people of God throughout much of their history. Perhaps, they were not as bad as some; yet still God states here that some judgment is coming.
My thought for this morning surrounds verse 2. Part of the judgment that was going to come to Egypt was a battle from within its own borders; a fight among its own inhabitants; a civil war. Our nation faced this same type of conflict 150 years ago. It was perhaps the ugliest battle America would ever face: neighbor against neighbor; brother against brother. We found that it was impossible for the nation to move forward until its inner struggle was settled.
I have noticed that we oftentimes face a similar type of judgment in our families and in our church: a division on the inside; a battle, not with an invading army, but with an injured brother. When a church moves away from fighting the external battle against the world and the devil, it then begins to fight amongst itself. It seems that by nature we are fighters; and to some degree we ought to be. We ought to fight against the sin and darkness of this world; we ought to hate the devil; and we ought to be striving together in order to bring the gospel to the people around us. Oftentimes we forget who the real enemy is and we take up arms against each other. Satan is very wise and understands that if he can get us to destroy each other, he won’t have to destroy us himself.
We see that this problem is also prevalent inside the home. Parents are not always in one accord, but are often at odds with one another. They fight about finances, about child-rearing, and about alot of other things. All of this division is rooted in pride, with each individual insisting on getting his and her own way. Shame on us.
The cure for this problem is simply to recognize the battle is not within, but without. When we get busy fighting for the Lord, we will not have time nor desire to fight each other.
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Do You Need An “I” Exam?
Today’s Passage – Isaiah 14 – 18 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – click here to view the text)
(Second Milers also read – Luke 21 – 22; Psalms 6 – 10; Proverbs 2)
Scripture Memory for July – John 3:1 – 21
Listen to this morning’s Scripture song –Isaiah 51:11
Read “10 Ways To Prepare Your Children For A Great School Year” by Pastor Chappell
“How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations! For thou hast said in thine heart, I willascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.” – (Isaiah 14:12-14)
Five times in this passage, we see Lucifer (Satan) using the phrase “I will”. Did you ever notice how much we use the word “I”. We, like Satan, are full of ourselves. Satan fell because of his pride, and most of us have the same problem. We would never admit it, but we are really the “god” of our own lives. We worship ourselves, and though we won’t admit, we are really not much different than Satan, when it comes to pride. It is natural to exalt ourselves, and it is very diffficult to be humble; but humility is required for us to surrender to Christ. In order to be saved, we need to humble ourselves, and in order to live the spirit filled life, we must continually abase ourselves and lift up Christ. Easier said than done.
Lately, we have been bombarded with news of great men who have fallen into sin. It both grieves me, and scares me because I know that it could be me. I am sure, however, that pride is a root factor in all of these moral failures that we are hearing about. I think if we were to be able to examine each individual case carefully in retrospect, we would be able to recognize a pattern of pride. A Biblical example of someone falling due to pride is what happened to King Saul. He was at one time “little in his own eyes”, but God elevated him in the eyes of men. He enjoyed the praise and respect of men, and began to believe all of the nice things that people were saying about him, and all of the attention that he was getting. Somewhere along the line, he probably started to think that he somehow deserved the credit that he was getting. He gradually began to steal a little of the glory that rightly belonged only to God. He then started to operate independently of God, doing his own thing instead of obeying what God commanded. He also became threatened and insecure when anybody else received any praise. Eventually, he fell.
David fell also. He became too important to fight with the rest of his army, so he stayed home. He saw a woman that belonged to another man, but because he was the king, he felt that he was entitled to take her. He then tried to cover up his sin with the murder of her husband, and he was sure that he would get away with it. After all, he was a big and powerful man. Who would dare question King David? He though that he could do whatever he wanted. He wasn’t under any authority, not even God. What a shame.
Unfortunately, we see this all too often in the ministry, as well. As God begins to allow us to see some success in our ministries, we must remember that it is He that worked through us. We have no right to think that we are deserving of praise. To God be all the glory. Watch out for pride. Stay “little” in your own eyes, and don’t allow people to exalt you. Deflect all praise to the Lord for He alone is worthy.
“O magnify the LORD with me, and let us exalt his name together.” – (Psalm 34:3)
“For whosoever exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.” – (Luke 14:11)
“Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall.” – (Proverbs 16:18)
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Who Turned Out The Light?
Today’s Passage – Isaiah 9 – 13 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – click here to view the text)
(Second Milers also read – Luke 19 – 20; Psalms 1 – 5; Proverbs 1)
Scripture Memory for July – John 3:1 – 21
Listen to this morning’s Scripture song –Isaiah 40:31
Note – this is a repost from 2010, but there is another post that immediately follows this one that was written this morning.
“The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light: they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined.” (Isaiah 9:2)
The verse of Scripture referenced above deals with the birth of Christ. When Christ was born in the earth, he poked a huge hole in the darkness of a world that had been without light for a long time. Christ is light, and light equals righteousness and holiness; and it is also synonymous with spiritual understanding. The Bible says of God:
“Who coverest thyself with light as with a garment: who stretchest out the heavens like a curtain:”(Psalm 104:2)
“Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.” (John 8:12)
Light is not something that God has or something that God can produce; it is what He is. Peter, James, and John saw a glimpse of this light on the Mount of Transfiguration. John saw it again when he was on the Isle of Patmos and given theRevelation. Paul saw this light on the road to Damascus when the Lord gloriously saved him. All of these examples were actual physical manifestations of the light of God. However, when He came, He revealed to the world more than just Physical light: he delivered to the world a spiritual brightness that many had seen and received; and many more continue to receive to this day.
My thought for the day is: if Christ came and delivered this light to us 2000 years ago, and many millions have received this light from Him via the Holy Spirit; then why is this world still very dark. Jesus told us to shine the light to the dark world around us:
“Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.” (Matthew 5:16)
You would think with all of the millions of lights out there that should be shining, the world would be pretty bright; yet it continues to dwell in darkness. Why? Because God’s people are not allowing the light of Christ to radiate and reflect through them to the world around them. They are covering their candles with a bushel instead of elevating it on a candlestick. Three thoughts regarding the failure of the Christian to shine the light of Christ:
1 We fail to shine the light when we fail to separate from the darkness. Instead of increasing our light, we often participate in things that are very dark: things that are inconsistent with light. Light repels darkness; they cannot dwell together. So in order for the Christian to dwell in darkness, He has to douse His light. He has to quench the Spirit of God that dwells within Him.
“And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.” (John 3:19)
By the way, unfortunately, the verse above oftentimes applies to the Christian as well as to the world.
2 We fail to shine the light when we fail to saturate ourselves in the light of the Word of God.
“Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.” (Psalm 119:105)
“The entrance of thy words giveth light; it giveth understanding unto the simple” (Psalm 119:130)
3 We fail to shine the light when we shield the light from reaching those around us. This has more to do with fear than anything else. We have the light, and we desire to shine it; but we are so intimidated by the world around us that we conceal it. It is time that we decide to take a stand, and decide once and for all whose side we are on. We belong to God. We owe this world nothing but the light of Christ. Get out of the way, and let His light shine through you.
“That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world;” (Philippians 2:15)
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His Rest Shall Be Glorious
“And in that day there shall be a root of Jesse, which shall stand for an ensign of the people; to it shall the Gentiles seek: and his rest shall be glorious.” – (Isaiah 11:10)
If you haven’t done so already, I would encourage you to read all of Isaiah 11. This is the passage of Scripture that really caught my attention this morning, but I thought the truth from the first post, which was originally published in 2010, would be more helpful.
Thr rest that the title infers has to do with the Millenial Kingdom, which will be established on the earth after the return of the Lord Jesus Christ. It will be a wonderful time of peace and prosperity, and the earth at that time will have some similarities to the original creation of God in the Garden of Eden. Even the animals, which hunted and killed each other, will be like they were originally created, and will be vegetarians rather than meat eaters. It seems that even though the presence of sin will still be there, it will be under much greater control. Sin will not be irradicated, however, until we are in the new Heaven and the new earth, which does not take place until after the Millenium.
I look forward to the Millenial Kingdom. I also look forward to the New Jerusalem. Recently, I became convicted about the fact that are homes should be a reflection now of what life will be like then. Our homes should be little pictures of Heaven: a place where there is “nothing that offends”; a place where there is no strife; a place where the Word of God is preeminent, and the God of the Word is glorified. Our family started a new practice just this past Sunday that, hopefully, we will be faithful to continue. What we are doing is this: we are carving out the hours between 1:00 pm and 4:00 pm on Sunday afternoons. We will enjoy a special meal together that is prepared on Saturday, so it just has to be heated up on Sunday. We are shutting off the T.V., as well as the computers and smart phones. I will not be working on Sunday night’s message. It will be a time where family, and a few close friends, are gathered together, enjoying the goodness of God, as well as each other’s fellowship. For those three hours, we will be resting, and relaxing. Perhaps, we will all take a walk together; perhaps, we will do nothing; but hopefully it will be something that we look forward to every week, just as we look forward to going home to Heaven.
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