Shine Bright

Light, what a difference it makes. A bright sunny day tends to make for generally happier people, right? Those of us who live in northern climates where one gray day follows another in January and February can develop SAD – Seasonal Affective Disorder. Some people begin to feel depressed as the days shorten, losing interest in life, having lower energy levels, becoming more irritable, and in severe cases- thoughts of suicide. One of the more effective treatments is a simple thing – turn on the lights, bright lights! Getting outside into the light of day, or bringing light with higher intensity into the home can help.

With age, I find that little ‘flashlight’ function on my smartphone quite valuable. I can put light on a small area, quickly and easily, to read that fine print, to find that lost coin. Once again, light makes a difference.

Let’s turn to things spiritual. Are you living in the Light? The Scripture frequently uses ‘darkness’ as a metaphor for life lived apart from God’s Presence.  Those who reject God, even Christians who refuse the Spirit’s leading, become confused; often sad. Unable to see clearly, they are prey for the Evil One who specializes in deception.  Right and wrong become indistinguishable. The path to a whole life that knows the blessings of the Lord is hidden. As the darkness deepens, so too the likelihood of falling into all kinds of spiritually deadly situations.

God brought Light into this world. We just finished our celebration of the birth of the Savior, who in the words of Isaiah, quoted by Matthew, came to be the Great Light. "When Jesus heard that John had been put in prison, he returned to Galilee. Leaving Nazareth, he went and lived in Capernaum, which was by the lake in the area of Zebulun and Naphtali— to fulfill what was said through the prophet Isaiah: “Land of Zebulun and land of Naphtali, the way to the sea, along the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles— the people living in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned.” From that time on Jesus began to preach, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.”" (Matthew 4:12-17, NIV)

In that passage there is a choice that comes with the entry of the Light. When He comes to us, there is a revealing of who we are, what we have done, right down to the motives that drive us. That could be frightening enough to make us scurry to find the cover of darkness, IF we do not understand the grace and mercy that come with the Light. John reminds that He did not come to condemn the world but to save us from our sins. Do you know and believe that? Are you willing to let the Light shine, to come into the open light of day, and repent, letting go what once seemed so important in order to grasp that which is of eternal value? Later in his Gospel, Matthew quotes Jesus’ words about living as children of the day. “Your eyes are windows into your body. If you open your eyes wide in wonder and belief, your body fills up with light. If you live squinty-eyed in greed and distrust, your body is a dank cellar. If you pull the blinds on your windows, what a dark life you will have!" (Matthew 6:22-23, The Message)

If you have never invited Jesus to be Lord, Savior, your Light of Life – turn to face Him today. Let the Light shine in. Change will come. Truth will guide. There will be no more stumbling around in the dark.

Christian, invite the Light to shine to every corner of your life. With the entrance of His light, there will be growth. Joy will increase.

Here is the word from the Word. Meditate on it, respond to it. Live! "For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light" (Ephesians 5:8, NIV)
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Shine, Jesus, Shine
(This is the prayer of my heart)

Lord the light of Your love is shining

In the midst of the darkness shining

Jesus Light of the world shine upon us

Set us free by the truth You now bring us

Shine on me shine on me

Shine Jesus shine

Fill this land

With the Father's glory

Blaze Spirit blaze

Set our hearts on fire

Flow river flow

Flood the nations

With grace and mercy

Send forth Your word Lord

And let there be light

Lord I come to Your awesome presence

From the shadows into Your radiance

By the blood I may enter Your brightness

Search me try me consume all my darkness

Shine on me shine on me

As we gaze on Your kingly brightness

So our faces display Your likeness

Ever changing from glory to glory

Mirrored here may our lives tell Your story

Shine on me shine on me

Graham Kendrick

© 1987 Make Way Music (Admin. by Music Services, Inc.)

CCLI License # 810055

Tested, found Strong

A metal railroad bridge in Western Pennsylvania that stood for over a century failed when a tornado swept through.  Engineers who worked to discover the reason for the collapse found that when the bridge was re-built decades ago, using steel in place of the iron, the original iron anchor bolts were left in place, considered too expensive to remove and replace. Steel accepts much higher loads than iron, allowing for flex before failure, where iron suddenly snaps. When 100 MPH winds created side stress, rather than weight pressing down, those older rusted iron anchors cracked and the bridge turned to ruin in a few moments time. (Bridge Fails)

One thing I know for certain – tests come to us all!  They arrive in many ways. Illness, disappointment, death, economic issues, depression, temptation … are just some of the ways we are tested.

How will we respond to those storms? Will the old anchor points of life snap and cause a collapse? Will we turn into a fearful, angry person? Will we abandon faith, turning on God? OR, will we stand, in courage, renewing our commitment to faith, leaning on the Word, even when to do so seems like folly?

In Matthew’s Gospel, we read of a miracle moment at the Jordan at the end of chapter 3. Jesus goes to John, the Baptist, and asks to be baptized, even though He is perfect, not needing the washing of repentance. The Holy Spirit descends and the voice of the Father thunders from above, announcing His delight in His Son. There is glory all around. If I had written the plan, Jesus would have gone straight that from that moment of blessing to Jerusalem to announce the Kingdom! We tend to think that way, believing that one season of blessing should always be followed by another, don't we?

Here is how God allowed the plan to unfold. "Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil. After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. The tempter came to him and said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.” Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” 

Then the devil took him to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. “If you are the Son of God,” he said, “throw yourself down. For it is written: ”‘He will command his angels concerning you, and they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.’” Jesus answered him, “It is also written: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’” 

Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. “All this I will give you,” he said, “if you will bow down and worship me.” Jesus said to him, “Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.’” Then the devil left him, and angels came and attended him." (Matthew 4:1-11, NIV)

He was ‘led by the Spirit’ to be tested. What a revelation. Jesus did not stumble into a bad time. He did not create His own problems with poor decision-making. The Father allowed Him to be tested! We could guess at a hundred reasons why, but the inspired author offers no explanation. He just tells us what happened. Jesus, left weak by an extended fast, is invited to misuse the power of God to satisfy His own appetite. He hears Satan telling Him that He should expect God to send angels to rescue Him if He put Himself into danger. He is offered a short-cut to ‘success’ in His mission, in only He will abandon His singular love of God. 

In each situation, Jesus does not rely on His own strength, nor does He engage in lengthy debate with the Devil.  He goes to the Hebrew text of Deuteronomy, inspired Word, that He, the Living Word, knew was the revealed will of God. He speaks God’s Word in the moment of testing and that anchor holds Him in the storm.

Tests in our lives bring temptation in many guises.  Why do they come? We sometimes make wrong choices that lead us into hard places. We sometimes choose to live in Self-will rather than God’s will and find ourselves in a mess! But, sometimes God, for purposes beyond our grasp, allows us to walk in deep valleys where the Light of His Presence is hidden. What then? Will our anchor bolts snap leading to a collapse, or will we lean hard on faith, even when it appears irrational?  Faith does not discard reason, but sometimes it goes beyond it, trusting God for that which can only been seen with vision informed by the Spirit.

Know God’s Word and commit that truth to memory. Grow beyond ‘folk religion’ that rests on slogans, mottos, and assumptions. Become a disciple, a true follower of Christ, who ‘works out’ the implications of His salvation in all aspects of life. And, when the tests come, you will stand!

Mediate today on this word from the Word. Make this the guiding Truth for life – for the glory days and the testing times.

“Do not throw away this confident trust in the Lord, no matter what happens. Remember the great reward it brings you! Patient endurance is what you need now, so you will continue to do God’s will. Then you will receive all that he has promised.  “For in just a little while, the Coming One will come and not delay. And a righteous person will live by faith. But I will have no pleasure in anyone who turns away.” But we are not like those who turn their backs on God and seal their fate. We have faith that assures our salvation.”  - (Hebrews 10:34)  

"We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, on whom our faith depends from start to finish. He was willing to die a shameful death on the cross because of the joy he knew would be his afterward. Now he is seated in the place of highest honor beside God’s throne in heaven. Think about all he endured when sinful people did such terrible things to him, so that you don’t become weary and give up." (Hebrews 12:2-3, NLT)

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Build My Life

(Will you build your life on Jesus?)

Worthy of ev’ry song we could ever sing

Worthy of all the praise we could ever bring

Worthy of ev’ry breath we could ever breathe

We live for You

Jesus the name above ev’ry other name

Jesus the only one who could ever save

Worthy of ev’ry breath we could ever breathe

We live for You

We live for You

Holy there is no one like You

There is none besides You

Open up my eyes in wonder and show me who You are

And fill me with Your heart

And lead me in Your love to those around me

I will build my life upon Your love

It is a firm foundation

I will put my trust in You alone

And I will not be shaken

Brett Younker | Karl Martin | Kirby Elizabeth Kaple | Matt Redman | Pat Barrett

© 2016 Martin, Karl Andrew (Admin. by Arkyard Music Services Limited)

Kaple Music (Admin. by Bethel Music Publishing)

Bethel Music Publishing

CCLI License # 810055

Fire Baptized!

In recent years we have witnessed mega-fires in the West, that have destroyed thousands of acres of forest and cost $billions in property destruction. In addition to climate change, experts now realize that fire suppression methods that protected property and landscapes over the last half of the 20^th century actually created the conditions that now feed these huge fires. In the past, fires would burn the undergrowth, but not reach the canopy of larger trees, a natural process of thinning the forest for the healthiest trees to grow. But, those fires were not allowed to burn and dense growth accumulated, fuel for fires that rage out of control. Allowing smaller managed fires that clear out brush is one method of preventing even more catastrophic, canopy-killing fires from breaking out.

Fighting fire with fire. The idea seems to go against reason, at first.

God sometimes uses fiery trials in our lives, friend! If you are in the middle of a difficult situation, if you are feeling the heat of life, ask God to give you strength to endure.  In the loving hands of our Father, those experiences can actually help to clear out the clutter and encourage us to mature in faith.

John, the Baptist, offered this shocking statement to the people who came to hear him preach down at the Jordan River.  “I baptize you with water for repentance. But after me will come one who is more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not fit to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire. His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor, gathering his wheat into the barn and burning up the chaff with unquenchable fire.” Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to be baptized by John." (Matthew 3:11-13, NIV)

John realized that his baptism, which focused on the act of being ‘sorry,’ of turning back to God was incomplete. Real maturity in faith required something more, and he knew that More was coming in the Person of Jesus who would fill us with the Spirit and, if we let Him, He will use the Spirit’s fire will burn away the distractions, the accumulated weight of other sins. Such fiery baptism is costly to us in terms of comfort. But, in John’s metaphor, it is a means of clearing away the chaff, the outer hull of the grain that is worthless.

Before we become fatalists and just accept all trials as ‘God’s will,’ we must realize that often we create our own troubles with foolish, or short-sighted, or sinful choices. We create the conditions for wild fires in our own life. It is wrong to blame God for those. However, He can use those things to cause us to reach the end of Self and turn to Him. When we do, He is our ‘ever present help in time of trouble.’  

So, here at the beginning of this new year, I want to ask you if you are living just in repentance, constantly going back to God asking forgiveness, seeking renewal? 

Or, have you been Spirit-baptized by Jesus, made clean by the fire, with fruitfulness in character, and growing to greater maturity?

This word from the Word will inspire. Let it grip your heart and mind today. "You’ve come to Jesus, who presents us with a new covenant, a fresh charter from God. He is the Mediator of this covenant. . . So don’t turn a deaf ear to these gracious words.  . . . Do you see what we’ve got? An unshakable kingdom! And do you see how thankful we must be? Not only thankful, but brimming with worship, deeply reverent before God. For God is not an indifferent bystander. He’s actively cleaning house, torching all that needs to burn, and he won’t quit until it’s all cleansed. God himself is Fire!" (Hebrews 12:24-29, The Message)

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Abba, I humbly place my heart, my mind, my life at Your disposal.

Keep me from just saying words unmatched with desire for You.

If there are things that need to be torched in my life,

Steady me in faith through the fire!

Let me emerge, 

Not embittered, but empowered;

Not empty, but full of grace;

Not scorched, but cleansed.

And, help my hope to be found in Jesus,

All other loves lesser, love for You greater.

Amen