Tag: light

What Are These Greater Works That We Will Do?

John 14:12
Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father.

Most of us will never set foot on foreign soils in an effort to win souls. Nor will we step to a podium to stir a great revival. So what are these greater works that we will do when we believe in Jesus?

The answer is certainly different for each one of us as God has created each of us with a unique plan for our lives. In our own individual ways we will be called to be laborers in the field bringing light to the world of darkness around us. We may be called to be ushers, parking attendants, babysitters, etc. We may be called to serve the poor. We may be called to lead a bible study. Who knows, we may even be called to a ministry of healing and deliverance. But in all of the various ways that we are called, there will always be one element of our works that will be the same and that is the work of prayer.

Jesus was our role model is this regard. He never attempted any work without going to the Father first in prayer. Prayer was one of His greater works as He went to the Father to have His power and His purpose released. Now that Jesus is with the Father as Our Mediator, one could argue that prayer is the greatest work that we will do as we call on Jesus to go to the Father on our behalf.

Let us call on Jesus to go to the Father to have His power and His purpose for us released in our lives. Let us faithfully seek the greater works that the Lord has set aside for us.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for making us vessels for Your perfect Light to be released in the darkness of the world around us. We bless the name of Jesus for showing us the way in which we should approach the purpose for our lives. We rejoice in knowing that we can share in Your good work by accessing through prayer the power and authority of Your Son. We pray, Father, that the greater works of the Son will be released in our lives as we seek You and surrender to Your plan for our lives through our prayers. We ask all these things in the name of the Strength of Our Lives, Jesus Christ.

Life Choices are Easy when We Live in the Fullness of the Light of Christ

2 Corinthians 11:3
But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.

The truth leaves no room for tolerance. There is no room for variance. Something is true or it is not.

Satan’s fingerprints are all over the complexity of issues that we deal with daily in this world. His tactics are simple. Satan builds in layers of grey around the truth. His minions, especially the media, work hard to confuse us. They attempt to build layers of grey around good and evil. They try to make us see elements of evil as good and elements of good as evil.

When our focus is on Jesus Christ, our lives become much simpler. He that dwells within us is the essence of everything good and the absence of evil. He is Truth. Living in Truth is very cut and dry. Simplicity in life is found by living in the light of Christ. From this standpoint, we can see, believe in and adhere to the crystal clear choices offered by the teachings of Jesus.

Let us seek the Truth in all matters. Let us avoid being swayed into believing that the truth lies anywhere in the shades of grey that the world offers. Let us seek the Light of the World to reveal any darkness in our lives.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for revealing the way, the truth and the life that is Your Son, Jesus. We praise the name of Jesus for modeling the good and perfect life that we should strive for. We rejoice in knowing that our choices in life are easy when we abide in Our Savior. We pray, Father, that the Holy Spirit will provide the wisdom that we need to discern the proper choices that we need to make in life for ourselves and our families. May we learn to live in the light and shut the door on the darkness that the world offers. We ask all these things in the name of the True Light, Jesus Christ.

Seeking the Favor of the Lord in Our Decision Making

Psalm 120:5
Woe to me, that I sojourn in Meshech, that I dwell among the tents of Kedar!

It is believed that David did not actually travel to Mesech or Kedar, nor did he live among their people. Mesech was often mentioned with Tubal, Gog and Magog. The people of these lands were regarded as barbarians. The Kedarenes were a people who lived in tents, moving from land to land looking for new pastures. It is believed that David was using mention of these people to paint a picture of the types of his own people that he was living with. His intention was to highlight the danger of becoming engaged in a society that is known to be ignorant, idolatrous and barbaric.

David’s warning is one that we should pay attention to. We have to be especially attentive when we are being severely challenged by our circumstances. We must learn to guard against being both short sighted and wrong sighted. We must be extremely careful not to make our dwelling place in a lost world, looking toward that world for answers instead of seeking the favor of Our Lord. We must exert a level of supernatural attentiveness. If we do not, we will end up making many decisions in the darkness instead of in the light.

Why would we ever turn to the darkness of the world instead of the Light of the World, Jesus Christ? It is not because the knowledge of the fullness of living in the light is not known to us. It is because we are spending so much more time in the world than we are in the arms of Our Savior.

Let us turn away from all the darkness that the world is offering. Let us choose instead to run to Our Lord and seek the treasures of the eternal light that He is holding for us.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for providing us with escape from the darkness that this world offers us. We rejoice in knowing that we have the favor of Our Savior, Jesus Christ. We cry out to You, Our Lord, for Your peace and Your holiness. We pray that You will strengthen us to overcome the evil that surrounds us. We ask that Your Holy Spirit guide us in setting aside time to spend with our blessed Savior. May we become vessels of light to the world around us as we surrender to the Light of the World. We ask all these things in the name of our refuge from the world, Jesus Christ.

Let Us All Be Lamps that Carry His Glory

John 12:35
So Jesus said to them, “The light is among you for a little while longer. Walk while you have the light, lest darkness overtake you. The one who walks in the darkness does not know where he is going.”

In the darkness, no work can be done and unseen pitfalls are perilously close by. Left in the darkness, we will find ourselves wandering aimlessly on with no measure of progress. Jesus warned that such a place was eminent for those who did not take advantage of the light that He provided.

Jesus is the light, the truth and the way. When we let Him into our lives, His light reveals all the darkness in our flesh that stands ready to trap us. His light illumines our way so that we can turn from the things in our lives that displease Our Heavenly Father. His light frees us from the darkness where we are sure to find affliction, calamity and distress. His light allows us to act as wise men and not as fools.

Jesus came and died on the Cross so that many may live in His light. Those that choose to live in His light, He allows to be beacons to call others to His light and to be vessels for sharing the peace and protection that His light provides.

Let us choose the paths for our lives that are illuminated by the presence of Our Savior. Let us all be lamps that carry His glory.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for the Light of the World, Jesus Christ. We bless the name of Jesus who frees us from living in the blindness and darkness created and cultivated by our sin natures. We thank You, Lord, that Your Holy Spirit illumines our paths each day. We pray that the Holy Spirit will guide and strengthen us as we choose to live in the Light. We ask all these things in the name of the way, the truth and the life, Jesus Christ.

Welcome to Heaven!

Revelation 21:23
And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and its lamp is the Lamb.

There is something different about the light at sunrise and the light at sunset. The light at sunrise seems to welcome us to our day and inspire us to greater things. The light at sunset seems so calming and comforting, preparing us for our evening of rest. Yet there is nothing that carries us along and sustains us better throughout the day than a bright, sun-filled sky. There is no question that light plays a significant role in our physical and emotional well being.

What if you woke up one morning and noticed a light filling your home that was more radiant and comforting than the most beautiful day that you had ever experienced? What if when you got out of bed there were none of those usual aches and pains? What if when you looked in the mirror you liked what you saw? What if your work for the day was perfectly satisfying, leaving you feeling wonderful? What if throughout the day you felt an overwhelming since of being loved and a desire to share that love with others? What if you could not resist delighting in the Lord non-stop all day long? What if when the day ended there was no darkness, only that radiant and comforting light that you had first experienced in the morning? What if this day never ended? Welcome to heaven!!

Let us eagerly await our new home for all eternity. Let us rejoice in knowing that day after day without end we will be in the presence of the Author and the Essence of everything that is good. Let us delight in knowing that we will never encounter anything evil again. Let us praise the Lord!!

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for preparing a place for us that is beyond our imagination. We thank You, Jesus, for making us worthy to receive our new homes for all eternity. We pray, Father, that You will draw us into intimate relationships with You here on earth, so that we can begin experiencing the fullness of who You are before we ever leave our earthly bodies. May we become vessels of Your perfect love so that others can know You and be drawn to accept Your Son as their Savior. May many experience Your eternal home as a result of them being drawn to Your Son by seeing the radiant and comforting light coming from Your obedient children. We ask all these things in the name of the Light of the World, Jesus Christ.