Learning to Be the Light - 1 John 1:7

"But if we are living in the light, as God is in the light, then we have fellowship with each other, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, cleanses us from all sin." The Apostle John declares that God is light (vs. 5). So, if you are in fellowship (in a relationship) with God, then His light shines on you so that you are living in the light. A Canadian band, Newworldson, recorded a song that expresses the heartfelt desire of all who are living in the light of God to learn to be His light to others. The lyrics of the chorus of the song say:

It's so much brighter living in your world 
Savior what you did for me 

You gave me something I want everyone to see 

When we stumble and it all goes wrong 

Only you can make it right 

So I say I'm learning to be the light 

God doesn't want you just to bask in the warmth and illumination of His light. He wants you to reflect His light to others. When you live in the light of God's reality, then sooner or later you must start reflecting the light of God's reality--you must learn to be the light. God wants you to be the light so that the light of His reality can be seen in this world in you! "You are the light of the world—like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden. No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house" (Matthew 5:14-15).

Gone Fishin' - John 21:3

"Simon Peter said, 'I'm going fishing.' 'We'll come, too,' they all said. So they went out in the boat, but they caught nothing all night." After Jesus's death and resurrection, He appeared to the disciples and other people several times before He ascended to heaven. On the occasion described in the last chapter of the Gospel of John, Peter and several of the disciples had returned to Galilee and were taking up their old occupation of fishing, and apparently, not being very successful at it. Early in the morning Jesus appeared on the shore of the Sea of Galilee, but they didn't recognize Him at first. He shouted to them to throw their net in on the other side of the boat. When they dutifully but doubtfully complied, they caught a net full of large fish. When they finally recognized Jesus, Peter jumped out of the boat and hurried to the beach to greet Him. Jesus had prepared a breakfast of fish and bread for the disciples. After breakfast, Jesus took Peter aside and a well-known conversation took place between them. Jesus asked Peter three times if he loved Him and told Peter three times to nurture and take care of the community of Jesus's followers: "A third time he asked him, 'Simon son of John, do you love me?' Peter was hurt that Jesus asked the question a third time. He said, 'Lord, you know everything. You know that I love you.' Jesus said, 'Then feed my sheep'" (vs. 17). The three questions and three imperatives were reminiscent of Peter's three denials prior to Jesus's crucifixion. It seemed that Peter was feeling sorry for himself because he had failed Jesus and Jesus was urging him to get over it. So Jesus was trying to demonstrate to Peter that he needed to move forward and accomplish God's plans and purposes for his life. Peter's personal feelings of guilt seemed to be holding him back from doing what Jesus wanted and needed (and spent three years preparing) him to do. Although we may make mistakes and experience failure, nothing changes God's love and calling on our lives. The love and commitment we have to Him because of what He has done for us should surpass any feelings of guilt that we inflict upon ourselves. When you are Jesus's follower and belong to Him, you don't get to stop doing what He has called you to do simply because you're not feeling it. If you love Him, keep on serving Him. Yes, if you love Him, don't stop serving Him. If you really love Him, then keep serving Him!

Assured Success - 2 Chronicles 26:5

"Uzziah sought God during the days of Zechariah, who taught him to fear God. And as long as the king sought guidance from the Lord, God gave him success." Uzziah became king of Judah at sixteen years of age. Though a young king, Uzziah was faithful to God: "He did what was pleasing in the Lord’s sight, just as his father, Amaziah, had done" (vs. 4). The same thing was said about Uzziah's son, Jotham, when he became king over Judah: "King Jotham became powerful because he was careful to live in obedience to the Lord his God" (vs. 27:6). When you are obedient to God and do His will, then you are assured of success in whatever you are doing. Really, how can you go wrong if do God's will? Of course, the hitch is that you have to seek God's guidance in whatever you do--in other words, everything you do--so that you know God's will! And therein lies our difficulty. We move forward with our lives without consulting God on everything we intend to do and then tragedy strikes or problems arise. Only then do we diligently seek God to find explanations and guidance. What if walking in God's will became our daily routine? Don't you think that if God is telling you to do something that He is surely going to give you success in doing it? Thus, we are assured that if we stay in God's will, we will be successful when we seek God's guidance in everything we do. Yes, we will still have problems. You always experience resistance from the evil one when you are doing God's will. But you are assured that God gives you success in spite of problems when you are doing His will and you can be assured you are doing God's will when you seek guidance from God in everything you do!

God's Battlefield - 2 Chronicles 20:15

"For the battle is not yours, but God’s." When a vast army from Edom marched against Judah, King Jehoshaphat was frantic and pleaded with God for guidance. Jehoshaphat ordered the people of Judah to fast and pray. People from all the towns of Judah gathered at the Temple in Jerusalem and Jehoshaphat led them in public prayer. The Spirit of God came upon one of the Levites in the gathering and these are the words he proclaimed to King Jehoshaphat and all the people of Judah. God told them not to be afraid of the mighty army that was assembling against them because it was God's battle to fight, not theirs: "But you will not even need to fight. Take your positions; then stand still and watch the Lord’s victory. He is with you, O people of Judah and Jerusalem. Do not be afraid or discouraged. Go out against them tomorrow, for the Lord is with you!" (vs. 17). When the army of Judah marched out to battle, King Jehoshaphat  did something bizarre. He ordered singers to walk ahead of the army of Judah and sing praises about the greatness of God! As they began singing praises to God, the armies of Edom attacked each other and completely destroyed themselves. So, when the army of Judah arrived at the battlefield, there were dead bodies lying on the ground as far as they could see and so much plunder that it took them three days to gather it all up! The Jews named the battlefield the Valley of Blessing! The fundamental proposition of faith in God is that the battle belongs to God. Your life is God's battlefield.  If you're going to trust God, then you have to trust Him to fight life's battles for you. In fact, you don't even need to fight! Your role is to stand still and see what God is doing and then march out into life praising Him for His greatness. But standing still and waiting for God is often the hardest thing to do because we want to take matters into our own hands. We want to DO SOMETHING!. But it's not faith when you take matters into your own hands. It's faith when you stand still and see what God is doing and then follow His lead! And then you will be in a position to be abundantly blessed by God! "Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power" (Ephesians 6:10).

The Gift That Keeps on Giving - John 15:26

"But I will send you the Advocate—the Spirit of truth. He will come to you from the Father and will testify all about me." At the Last Supper Jesus explained to His disciples that He was going away--He was going to be arrested and executed--and so He would send the Holy Spirit, the Advocate, to be with His disciples. The Greek for Advocate is Paracletos or Paraclete, meaning "called alongside," and generally refers to a legal advocate, somewhat along the lines of an attorney providing legal advice to clients. In this verse Jesus says that the job or work of the Holy Spirit is to testify about Himself. In other words, the Holy Spirit, will bear witness to the reality of Jesus and His incarnation, sacrificial death, and resurrection to followers of Jesus as well as other people. In this farewell address to His disciples, Jesus actually promises the gift of the Holy Spirit five times in Chapters 14-16, each time identifying a different duty or assignment of the Spirit:

1. "And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, who will never leave you. He is the Holy Spirit, who leads into all truth" (vs. 14:16-17). Just as Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life (vs, 14:6), the Holy Spirit continues the work of Jesus to lead His followers to the truth of the reality of Jesus, the Son of God, and a way of life devoted to that reality/truth.
2. "But when the Father sends the Advocate as my representative—that is, the Holy Spirit—he will teach you everything and will remind you of everything I have told you" (vs. 14:26). The Holy Spirit continues the work of Jesus in teaching His followers about God's redemption. Jesus's followers experience this work of the Holy Spirit when they read and study God's Word, the Bible.
3. "But I will send you the Advocate—the Spirit of truth. He will come to you from the Father and will testify all about me" (vs. 15:26). The Holy Spirit continues the work of Jesus to bear witness about the reality of God the Father and Jesus, the Son of God.
4. "But in fact, it is best for you that I go away, because if I don’t, the Advocate won’t come. If I do go away, then I will send him to you. And when he comes, he will convict the world of its sin, and of God’s righteousness, and of the coming judgment" (vs. 16:7-8). As a human being, Jesus was subject to the limitations of a physical body. The Holy Spirit is not subject to human limitations and can be in all places at once. Therefore, He can show any person or all people any place or any time how sinful they are by revealing God's righteousness.
5. "When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own but will tell you what he has heard. He will tell you about the future. He will bring me glory by telling you whatever he receives from me" (vs. 16:13-14). The Holy Spirit continues the work of Jesus to reveal to His followers the plans and purposes of God.

The Holy Spirit is a gift from God that keeps on giving! The Holy Spirit dwells in us and His presence is just like having Jesus with us all the time--teaching us, leading us, advising us, and revealing Himself through us.

What Am I Supposed To Do? - John 14:10

"My Father who lives in me does his work through me." All right, you're a Christian. Maybe you have been a Christian for all or most of your life or only for a short time. But the nagging question that always lingers in the background (or forefront) of your life is: Lord, what am I supposed to do with this great salvation you have given me? Jesus seemed to be clear about what He was supposed to do during His earthly life. He told His disciples that God the Father lives in Him and does His work through Him. Well, that's fine for Jesus but, after all, He was the Son of God. So how does that help me know what I am supposed to do? Just a couple of verses later Jesus applies it to you and me: "I tell you the truth, anyone who believes in me will do the same works I have done, and even greater works, because I am going to be with the Father" (vs 12). So we are supposed to do the same thing Jesus did! And Jesus did God the Father's work. Whatever God needs to do through you, that's what you're supposed to do. I know that's not very specific and you would like to have a little more definitive response. So let me suggest three propositions that might provide more explicit guidance. First, Jesus said that He is the way through life: "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me. If you had really known me, you would know who my Father is. From now on, you do know him and have seen him!" (vs. 6-7). I don't know my way through life but I do know and trust the One who is the Way to Life! And when I know God in a personal way, then I am enabled to see God's reality at work. Second, Jesus only did what He saw God the Father doing: "I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself. He does only what he sees the Father doing. Whatever the Father does, the Son also does. For the Father loves the Son and shows him everything he is doing" (vs. 5:19-20). If Jesus is our example and He applies to us what applies to Him, then God will show you what you are supposed to be doing when you are looking to see what He is doing. Third, God gives you His Spirit to enable you to have the spiritual perception to see what God is doing and to empower you to do His work: "And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, who will never leave you. He is the Holy Spirit, who leads into all truth" (vs. 16-17). You have a destiny with God. God is working out His redemptive plan for His creation and He wants you to help. Therefore, He has empowered you by His Spirit to do His work. So look around and see how or where God is at work and then join Him so He can do His work through you. That's what you're supposed to do!

Say...What? - John 13:3-4

"Jesus knew that the Father had given him authority over everything and that he had come from God and would return to God. So he got up from the table, took off his robe, wrapped a towel around his waist,and poured water into a basin. Then he began to wash the disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel he had around him." John says that Jesus came from God and had all authority over everything and so then He washed His disciples' feet! Say, what? The God of the universe became a human being and then washed the feet of the human beings He created? Undoubtedly, John's juxtapositioning of a declaration of Jesus's divine nature and glory with a declaration of His humility is both intentional and inspired. But wouldn't it seem more probable that Jesus came from God and had authority over everything and then commanded His disciples to fall down at His feet and worship Him? Instead, the Creator of the universe not only humbled Himself to become a human being, but then He humbled Himself even more to wash the feet of human beings, and then He died for them! Really, how much can God possibly love people? And if that's not enough, then Jesus explained that He was doing this to set an example for us to follow: "And since I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you ought to wash each other’s feet. I have given you an example to follow. Do as I have done to you" (vs. 14-15). Jesus didn't command us to fall down at His feet and worship Him, which would certainly be easier than what He actually commanded us to do. He commanded us to show the humility and regard we should have for Him to one another! Really, how much can we possibly love people?

Pain Relief - John 11:4

"But when Jesus heard about it he said, 'Lazarus’s sickness will not end in death. No, it happened for the glory of God so that the Son of God will receive glory from this.'" Jesus received a message from Lazarus's sisters, Mary and Martha, that their brother and Jesus's dear friend was on his deathbed. They wanted Jesus to come and heal Lazarus so he wouldn't die. These words are Jesus's response to that message. After giving this response to the messenger, He stayed where He was for a couple more days instead of going to Lazarus. His response that the Son of God will receive glory from this event is similar to His response when questioned by His disciples about the man born blind in 9:1-5 before He healed him. Besides, Jesus had recently left Judea because they tried to arrest Him there, and now His friends were asking Him to risk coming back into Judea. But Jesus waited not because He feared arrest but because He wanted to demonstrate the Son of God's power over death! Jesus plainly states in this verse that the restoration of life to Lazarus would be for God's glory. In other words, what's significant about the whole story of Lazarus is not that he was raised from the dead, but that Jesus's ministry actually implemented God's redemptive plan and purpose for all humanity. Jesus came to planet Earth to conquer death, but He had to provide some pain relief until He put into effect a permanent solution for the problem of death. The resurrection of Lazarus was a foreshadowing of Jesus's own death and resurrection. His disciples had to understand and believe He was the resurrection and the life (vs. 25) before He actually became the resurrection and life. He needed them (and us) to "really believe" so they would be empowered to build His Church: "So he told them plainly, Lazarus is dead. And for your sakes, I’m glad I wasn’t there, for now you will really believe" (vs. 14). The same is true for us today. Our belief in the reality of resurrection and eternal life through Jesus Christ enables us to persevere in this present life and do His work until the day we actually receive the reality of resurrection and eternal life: "But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God" (1:12).

Significance - 1 Chronicles 29:13-15

"O our God, we thank you and praise your glorious name! But who am I, and who are my people, that we could give anything to you? Everything we have has come from you, and we give you only what you first gave us! We are here for only a moment, visitors and strangers in the land as our ancestors were before us. Our days on earth are like a passing shadow, gone so soon without a trace." King David summoned all the officials of Israel to Jerusalem including the leaders of the tribes, the commanders of the army, and the overseers of royal property. He told them that he wanted to build a temple in Jerusalem to worship God, but God planned for his son, Solomon, to succeed him to the throne and build the temple. Therefore, David had made many preparations for the building of the temple including drafting architectural plans and gathering most of the materials needed to build it. After David had charged Solomon to build the temple and handed him the plans in front of the whole assembly of Israel's leaders, he praised God in a public prayer. This passage is taken from that prayer and contains a particularly moving and notable enjoinder for us as human beings. Since everything we have and are comes from God, then anything we give Him is only what He has given us in the first place. And that includes both material possessions and our physical life. So much so, that our life on this earth is like a short visit to a strange land. Thus, we don't want to live lives that focus completely on the things of the present world because we are creatures of eternity. This passage seems to be David's way of saying not to store up treasures on earth, but store up treasures in heaven. The point is, that from the perspective of eternal life, the span of our our lives in this world is almost insignificant. Yet, significance is supremely important to us--we want our lives to matter. But, if you live your present life as a preparation for eternity, then everything you are, say, and do matters for eternity. When you begin to live for the future in the present, then God endows your short life in this world with lasting and eternal significance. "Don’t store up treasures here on earth, where moths eat them and rust destroys them, and where thieves break in and steal. Store your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal. Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be" (Matthew 6:19-21).

Amateur Theologians - John 9:25,30-33

"But I know this; I was blind, and now I can see!...He healed my eyes, and yet you don’t know where he comes from? We know that God doesn’t listen to sinners, but he is ready to hear those who worship him and do his will. Ever since the world began, no one has been able to open the eyes of someone born blind. If this man were not from God, he couldn’t have done it." As Jesus and His disciples are walking along they came across a man who was blind from birth and was also a beggar. The disciples asked Jesus to provide a theological explanation for the man's unfortunate condition and circumstances: "Why was this man born blind? Was it because of his own sins or his parents’ sins?" (vs 2). Jesus clearly answered the second question but gave an open-ended response to the first question that permitted some individual perspective and interpretation: "It was not because of his sins or his parents’ sins, Jesus answered. This happened so the power of God could be seen in him" (vs. 3). After the man was healed, the Pharisees questioned him at length because they were perturbed that Jesus had performed this healing on the Sabbath. The formerly blind beggar grew weary of their questions and exclaimed that he didn't know all the answers to their "why" questions. He just knew that once he was blind and then he had an encounter with Jesus that removed both his physical and spiritual blindness and so now he sees. Then the formerly blind man offered his own theological explanation for the healing, which the Pharisees vehemently rejected: God hears and helps those who worship Him and do His will. He gave essentially the same theological explanation to the Pharisees as to why he was born blind and healed that Jesus gave to the disciples--"so the power of God could be seen in him"--except it was from the vantage of his own personal experience with Jesus. So his encounter with Jesus turned him into an amateur theologian! And the only response the Pharisees, the theological scholars, could give was an ad hominem argument--a personal attack: "'You were born a total sinner!' they answered. 'Are you trying to teach us?' And they threw him out of the synagogue" (vs. 34). That we would all encounter Jesus and God's Word, the Bible, in such a way that qualifies us to be amateur theologians! "Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound, that saves a wretch like me. I once was lost, but now I'm found; was blind, but now I see."

God's Outbursts - I Chronicles 15:13

"Because you Levites did not carry the Ark the first time, the anger of the Lord our God burst out against us. We failed to ask God how to move it properly."

An interesting evolution in King David's faith in God takes place in in Chapters 13-15 of 1 Chronicles. At each stage in the development of David's faith over the course of these three chapters the same Hebrew word is used to show the mighty or forceful activity of God--God's outburst--in shaping David's faith.

As the new king over Israel, David consulted with all his advisers and they decided to move the Ark of God to Jerusalem, the new capital city. With the Ark being more accessible, King David could regularly inquire of God, which had not been the case during the reign of Saul. "The whole assembly agreed to this, for the people could see it was the right thing to do" (vs. 13:4).

However, God burst out against Uzzah on the Ark's journey to Jerusalem because he reached to stabilize the Ark when it started to topple: "Then the Lord's anger was aroused against Uzzah, and he struck him dead because he had laid his hand on the Ark...David was angry because the Lord's anger had burst out against Uzzah" (vs. 13:10-11).

In Chapter 14 the Philistines mobilized against David and so he inquired of God (rather than his advisers) if he should fight. God said to fight and David and his troops defeated the Philistines. David said that God used him to burst out against the Philistines and defeat them in battle: "He used me to burst through my enemies like a raging flood. So they named that place Baal-perazim which means 'the Lord who bursts through'" (vs 14:11).

By Chapter 15 David seems to have learned a hard lesson in obedience to God's will.and again attempts to move the Ark to Jerusalem. This time he is successful and God doesn't burst out against him because he followed God's plans: "Then the Levites carried the Ark of God on their shoulders with its carrying poles, just as the Lord had instructed Moses." (vs. 15:15).

Notice the development of David's faith from trying "to do the right thing" on his own in Chapter 13 to doing God's will in Chapter 15. David's faith developed from presuming his good intentions are God's will to consulting with God and then acting obediently in accordance with God's will.  

Good intentions are not the same as God's will.

We should all learn to obey God  by acting according to His will (through prayer and learning what  His Word, the Bible) and not acting on our own supposed good intentions. .