God’s Light

Spiritual Bug Squashing

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For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. James 1:23-24 ESV

A few weeks ago I shared how on the farm I needed a flashlight to find my way out to the barn and how that is like God’s word being a lamp for our path. But sometimes God’s word also shows us some things on the inside of us that really aren’t so great. That reminds me of a recent incident coming into the bathroom in the morning and switching on the light. Suddenly I saw perched on the lip of our brand new sink, the biggest ugliest palmetto bug ever! It didn’t take more than a few seconds for me to usher our uninvited guest into eternity and thankfully though I looked high and low he hadn’t brought along any friends or relatives! Now you would think it pretty strange if I had simply switched off the light and gone back to bed. You would probably say, “That’s disgusting! You’ve got to kill that critter!” But I could reply. “Yeah but it’s so much easier to just go back to sleep.”

Now that’s a funny story and even if I thought going back to bed was an option, my wife would never let me get away with it. So let’s ask ourselves today, how often do we wake up in the morning, read our Bible and decide that flicking off the light seems easier than dealing with the issues it reveals? Now I admit that, the spiritual solutions to straightening out relationships, telling someone we’re sorry or paying back an overdue loan from a friend are all much more painful than getting rid of a palmetto bug. But James encourages us in the following verse that if we take action, God has a special blessing in store. Jesus doesn’t just leave us on our own to do all the spiritual bug squashing . Instead He comes along side with his Holy Spirit to show us what to do next. We must never forget to be thankful for the blood of Jesus that forgives our past sins. But we must also remember that God wants to shine His word in our hearts, so that as we walk up His pathway we can live a life for Him with the light on, both on the inside and out!

But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing. James 1:25

The Light of Christmas

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In him was life and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness and the darkness has not overcome it.  John 1:4-5 ESV

Often our Christmas celebrations end on Christmas Eve. We’ve remembered the stable, the star, the wise men shepherds and Mary. But Christmas morning after the presents are opened and the Christmas dinner is over, everyone starts to watch football, makes a few phone calls or even just takes a nap. The same happened in Bethlehem. The very next day the shepherds went back to their sheep, the angels disappeared; Joseph probably got a room at the inn and life pretty much got back to normal – or did it?

The Bible tells us that in Jesus was life and that life was the light of men. Did you ever stop and wonder when that tiny baby begin to shine God’s light? Could it have happened as Mary comforted his cries as they fled from Herod’s soldiers? Could it have begun in Egypt where they lived as immigrants and fugitives? Maybe it began at the temple where He was asking the elders questions or at the river where John baptized him. The Bible isn’t specific about all the details, but it tells us that in some miraculous way God’s light was shining in Jesus through every big day and small and that all through the ages the darkness has never put it out…

Merry Christmas and God Bless you. May His light shine in your heart today!

Sunlight – Sunlight

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Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” John 8:12

About 40 years ago I received an invitation to bring my guitar along to play some songs at a little nursing home in Danbury Connecticut, called Park Terrace. Our Linda Southard had started going there to visit and she believed a little music would brighten things up a bit. Linda would bring the message and our four year old son Ben who liked hanging out me comprised our team. I don’t remember much of what our small group did but I do recall that whenever Linda asked the people for their favorite hymns, Ben would put up his little hand and ask; “Can we sing Sunlight Sunlight?” That cheerful hymn from the 18th century had somehow become his favorite. Its melody often comes to my mind and reminds me that no matter what I face: Jesus is still the light. I pray that today’s short message and hymns including – Sunlight Sunlight; This Little Light and a medley of Wondrous Cross and I Surrender All will lift your spirits today. May God bless you and give you a sense of His presence. He ever remains the light of the world!