God is Light

Read 1 John 1:5-7

When Mary, carrying the unborn infant Jesus, greeted Elizabeth, the other unborn infant, John, leaped for joy. Even In the pitch blackness of Elizabeth’s womb, the power of the Holy Spirit revealed to baby John the Light of the World!

In December of 2005, my husband selected a song for us to sing together on Christmas morning, “All is Well” by Point of Grace.

The first verse says, “All is well, all is well, Angels and men rejoice. For tonight darkness fell, into the dawn of love’s light!”

Little did I know that in just a few short weeks, I would discover that my husband was having an affair, and our 25-year marriage was going to end. That was a dark, dark time. Yet, the everlasting light of my Savior's faithful love kept dawning in my life.

God reveals to me that “He is light, and in Him there is no darkness at all” (1 John 1:5). I can trust Him and walk in the light of His saving grace that washes me clean, presents me as His radiant bride, holy and blameless. That grace radiantly shines the light of His presence into the dark places of my world.

QUESTIONS:

1. When your world seems like a dark place, does it comfort you that “God is light, and in Him there is no darkness at all”?

2. How is God calling you to walk in the light of His grace, and be the vessel of birthing Jesus into a dark place today?

PRAYER:

Lord, by the power of Your Holy Spirit, help us to live in the light of Your presence and radiate that light into our world.

Mary McGinnis

The King is Revealed - Shh!

Reading: Matthew 17: 1-9

 

How are you at keeping a secret? Today we join the disciples as they become privy to an extraordinary truth which they were to hold top secret at Jesus’ command.

Just days before the incident in Matthew 17, Jesus was walking with His disciples and asking them who people were saying He [Jesus] was. They offered various thoughts:  John the Baptist, Elijah, Jeremiah, one of the prophets. Then He asked, “But who do you say I am?”  “You are the Messiah, the Son of God,” Peter answered…and Jesus warned them strongly not to tell anyone who He was.

Later, Jesus took Peter, James, and John up a mountain, where they were joined by the Old Testament saints Moses and Elijah.  Then an amazing thing happened (as if seeing these two men wasn’t amazing enough!) – God the Father revealed to them what Peter had professed a week earlier, Jesus was, God’s “beloved Son, with whom I am well-pleased.”

Wow, what great news – everyone should know this!

Again Jesus told them to keep secret what they had seen.  What? Are you kidding?  This is such good news – the word needs to be spread, doesn’t it?  Why would Jesus put the brakes on the disciples’ enthusiasm?  Two words we perhaps don’t like to hear, “God’s timing” seem to be at the heart of it.  He told them to wait until He had risen from the dead, until they had received His Spirit (Acts 1:8).  When the Spirit came, bringing power to them, now was the time to go and tell – once they were equipped.  

They needed to wait on God before stepping out to proclaim Jesus to the whole world.

Through them, we, who have come after the Apostles, see the King revealed; And today, through us, others see Him as their King.  Through us, God “manifests the sweet aroma of the knowledge of Him in every place (2 Cor 2:14).”  He equips His saints in every generation to manifest His Messiah, His King.  Without His power, we are inadequate for the task. Praise God, our adequacy is from Him (2 Cor 3:5)!

 

Father, thank you that you plainly revealed Your Son to the world through your word and your people. We pray that this Lenten season many more may see Jesus as Their Messiah, their King. Amen

The Story of Two Wolves

Galatians 5:16-26

A grandfather is talking with his grandson and he says there are two wolves inside of us which are always at war with each other. One of them is a good wolf which represents things like kindness, bravery, and love. The other is a bad wolf, which represents things like greed, hatred and fear.

The grandson stops and thinks about it for a second then he looks up at his grandfather and says, “Grandfather, which one wins?” The grandfather quietly replies, "The one you feed”.

  

The source of this story has been attributed to the Cherokee Indians, as well as Billy Graham and George Bernard Shaw. Though no one knows for sure where it originated, an argument could be made that Paul inspired it.      

17 The sinful nature wants to do evil, which is just the opposite of what the Spirit wants. And the Spirit gives us desires that are the opposite of what the sinful nature desires. These two forces are constantly fighting each other, so you are not free to carry out your good intentions. NLT

 You don’t have to be an addict to have firsthand experience of this inner battle. Think about it the next time another driver cuts you off in traffic; or the contractor you hired doesn’t show up to do the work you paid for; or your insurance company seems more interested in saving money than paying for a claim. The list is endless.

 Speaking of lists, Paul made two of them in this passage. One is what our flesh desires, and the other what God’s Spirit desires. How do we go about winning the battle? What can we do to feed the good wolf?

24 Those who belong to Christ Jesus have nailed the passions and desires of their sinful nature to his cross and crucified them there. 25 Since we are living by the Spirit, let us follow the Spirit’s leading in every part of our lives. NLT

 This is not a onetime big decision, but a lifetime of small decisions that move us forward into the light of following the Spirit and not backwards into the darkness of our flesh.

 Which wolf will you feed? What fruit will you grow? Will you live by the Spirit?