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Joy is yours, what no one can ever share, as you tarry in the presence of the Lord, when He tells you, you are His own. And what can be more joyfully comforting than this truth. You are never alone. And continuing to meditate upon the psalmist’s prayer in the word of God, as God does His wonderful work of grace in you, will lead you forward in the path of His good and perfect will for your life -Teach me to do Your will, for You are my God; May Your good Spirit lead me on level ground. [Psalm 143:10]
The Holy Spirit, even as you are sensitive to the still small voice within you, leads you, by speaking to you from the scriptures that shines as a lamp to your feet and light to your path. It is the light of His presence that leads you on even in the midst of encircling gloom, in a virus affected world. For, in times of confusion, in your decision making and doubts, His word brings comfort that is consolation and encouragement that leads you on. And it is where the truth of sanctification needs to become part of your being, that you may reap the fruit of it, in seeing God’s wondrous doings in you, and in your situation. The promise of God’s presence that came to Joshua, assuring him of good success, in what would have seemed to him to be a herculean task that was not likely to succeed came with the procedure of sanctifying themselves, which in the old covenant was more about ceremonial cleansing. [Joshua 3:5]
But the substance of it all is Christ, who Himself becomes your sanctification in the new covenant, when you are separated or set apart unto God in Christ to be a holy nation, that you may declare the praises of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light. And Christ Himself has become the example in the manner and attitude in which you and I need to approach what God the Father has laid out for us on earth. The Lord’s words as He set His face like flint, to endure the Cross, for the joy set before Him were -‘I have glorified you on the earth. I have finished the work that you have given Me to do.’ [John 17:4]
And because of His finished work of the Cross, in Him and through Him, in the sufficiency and empowering of His grace that abounds in your life, this can be your blessed and confident assurance too. It begins with the word, for in the beginning was the word. And it is how you know what God’s will and specific purpose for which you have been fearfully and wonderfully created by Him is. For, as the psalmist has described the glorious nature and power of God’s word – The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul; The testimony of the Lord is pure, making wise the simple; the statutes of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart, the commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes. [Psalm 19:7-8]
The word of God that you hold in your hand is not merely black letters on white paper. For every scripture is God breathed. It is living and active and when received and applied rightly can make your life vibrantly colorful, and joyful. For it –
a) Restores your soul, by enabling you to make right decisions,
b) Gives you wisdom to know the will of God, together with the strength needed to accomplish it,
c) Makes it all a pleasurable procedure, one that makes you delight in doing His will.
d) And ultimately it gives you insight, by enlightening your eyes, to give you foresight, and a right perspective concerning your past and what lies ahead in your future.
It becomes very vital, because generally life’s learning experiences come from hindsight. And, anything in your past that has not been dealt with properly, will lead to regret that culminates in resentment. But with divine insight or inside information, you can move to a place of restoration that leaves no regrets, and gratitude, to thank the Lord who has dealt wondrously with you. [Joel 2:26]
The Lamb of God, Lord Jesus, is the Living Word. And He is the Light of the world, the true Light. It is what He made clear to the people, as He taught them – The lamp of the body is the eye. If therefore your eye is good, your whole body will be full of light.
But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness; If therefore the light in you is darkness, how great is that darkness. [Matthew 6:22-23]
The lamp of your body also signifies your heart, the inner man, or your conscience that you are called to guard with all vigilance, or your inner being that is your spirit, for out of it flow the issues of life. [Proverbs 4:23] And the spirit of man is the lamp of the Lord, searching all the inner depths of his heart. [Proverbs 20:27]
When his spirit was the lamp of the Lord, man had the discernment to be able to perceive spiritual realities, and know what was right and what was not. It was the original design and purpose of God in creating him that was destroyed by sin’s corrupting influence.
And the darkness of sin, working within, is what the Lord describes as the eye of a person not being clear. It would then result in him doing the right things, but with the wrong motives. It is what the Pharisees were doing, caring more about the externals. [Matthew 6:19]
But it is man who looks on the outside, and to God what matters more is the inner condition of a person. He weighs the motives, the thoughts and intentions of the heart. The need for money is there in every person’s life. But it comes to you from God and for a purpose. Knowing what it is, and fulfilling it, is what will be a blessing in your life, that makes you rich. And He adds no sorrow to it. Last year has been an eye opener in the lives of many people, for the harsh reality of life, has become the painful experience of so many, bringing to light what really matters, and revealing the fruitlessness of a life without God.
But through it all you can still move ahead, when it is not so virulent sickness, but the vibrant scriptures, that is the source by which the truth has become real to you. The word needs to be your point of origin, and source in every sphere of life. But what could actually be your life’s priorities can be gauged by a simple introspection, or when you take time to study the word of God.
The amount of time and money that you spend on, and the effort that you invest in it, displays your inclination that defines what you consider to be of great value and importance in your life. In other words it is where your heart is.
The difference between men and boys is the size of their toys, it has been humorously said! But the fact remains that pursuing material wealth, and all it’s so called benefits can be an attractive proposition to many. And it is also very true that after having pursued a worldly goal or product, you may even get it; but it would be only to find out that you do not like it!
Living with your eyes focused on the things of the world can never bring total satisfaction or fulfillment is the unvarnished truth! Life is more than mere possessions. Man needs something deeper, that only God can give, and it comes through what Christ has done, that you and I may receive abundant life.
The lure of money, can lead you to becoming its slave. For, it can initially appear to satisfy your every desire, but when you choose to follow its path, can end up becoming your master, and a hard task master at that, to take you away from serving God. It is the warning that proceeds from the Lord, for money has the power to displace God in your life.
‘No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one, and love the other, or else he will be loyal to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon’. [Matthew 6:24]
When money, the amassing of it is your primary focus, taking first place in your life’s priorities, it will ultimately make you its slave. But with God, pursuing Him and seeking Him more than anything else in your life, will see you seated in the heavenly realms together with Christ, as a blessed son of God. You will rest in the assurance of knowing that He is your Heavenly Father, who knows and cares about your every need, and will satisfy it, as you seek His kingdom and His righteousness that is the Lord Jesus Christ.
It is going after the wrong master, the pursuit of material wealth that will lead you to a place of anxiety and worry. And it is not what God desires to be your portion in life on earth. He enlightens you therefore that you may not stumble in darkness and ignorance.
The way of the wicked is like darkness; they do not know what makes them stumble. [Proverbs 4:19]
The wicked in the above scripture are the ungodly, who with a perspective that is not true and right, consider money to be their god, and are led to the wrong pasture, that does not restore their soul. And at such a time as this, when shortage and lack, and a disruption of a familiar routine has caused confusion that is darkness in many a life, God shines a light, the true Light that can enlighten any man.
In HIM was life, and the life was the light of man. [John 1:4]The uniqueness of it and its inclusive nature is also made very clear, as- That was the True Light which gives light to every man coming into the world. [Verse 9]
There are two angles when it comes to unpacking this simple but profound truth, which is in the glory of creation as described in the very beginning of the bible, and in new creation, where you and I become a new creation in Christ.
Then God said ‘Let there be light’, and there was light. [Genesis 1:3] The word that God spoke, as seen above, was powerful in having the power to create life on earth. For it was by the word that the sun was then created to be the source of life, the light that a seed needs as it germinates to grow and bear fruit. And it was how the earth that was formless or in disorder, empty and in darkness was ultimately what was very good in the sight of the Lord God. [Verse 31]
And in this time of darkness that is present in many lives, owing to this pervading health crisis that has resulted in an emptiness and chaos, an absence of order, it is how the word that is the light of life, can bring fullness and order to drive away the darkness. It is the glorious enlightening of the new creation that can bring comfort in your heart and mine.
For it is the God who commanded light to shine out of darkness who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. [2 Corinthians 4:6]
The apostle Paul underscores the principle of God’s creation that was at work at the dawn of creation in the first chapter of Genesis, connecting it with how it applies in your life today. He proclaims the truth, that it is the very same unchanging God who is now shining in your heart the very same light, that enlightens your soul to dispel darkness and bring fullness, wholeness and structure to all that is broken and dark in your life, in this prolonged and indefinite season of uncertainty, because of an unseen enemy. You may be in a state of perplexing darkness concerning your present and future. But Eden that was God’s garden of fellowship and communion with man in creation is transported to be the Eden in your heart in your new creation in Christ. And to be blessed with the spirit of wisdom, and revelation, in order that you may be enlightened by the word of God, is the essence of Paul’s prayer in his letter to the Ephesians, and may it be answered mightily by God for His glory.
It is a cord of three strands, three vital components coming together in harmonious power, to bring about the outworking of the purpose of God, in your life.
The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what the hope of His calling is, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the exceeding greatness of His power towards us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power. [Ephesians 1:17-19]
When the days ahead in the present situation seem dark and bleak, it is knowing His specific plan that can override any circumstance, to give you the confidence and assurance to move forward. And when it is His plan, provision will be His blessing that accompanies it. And it will see you not just managing, but have left over or an overflow that will bless others. Sudden and unforeseen expenses could have seen your income and savings getting depleted, but it can never drain the economy of God. And what could be greater than the loss that Job experienced, all so swiftly and so suddenly! And yet, at the end of it all he was able to declare his knowledge of the God who can do all things, whose purposes can never be thwarted. [Job 42:2] And it was because he had treasured God’s word to him more than food.
It is also why a life that is free of worry and anxiety can be yours, when you are seeking and serving God, who is your Heavenly Father. For the empowering and enabling for His purpose to be accomplished in your life is available in Him; And enlightened by insight or inside information, His command that bids you not to worry is not burdensome, but is a testimony to the truth of the scriptures.
The entrance of Your words gives light; It gives understanding to the simple. [Psalms 119:130] Enlightening is a progression, that begins with the entrance, the unfolding of His word, as a seed of faith in you to grow and bear fruit. It is how the path of the righteous is steadily and increasingly illuminated, by the Sun of righteousness. And at one point, much like the sun shining at its peak, in the noon day sun, casts no shifting shadow; your confidence in what God has promised to you in His word becomes soundly entrenched in you. It is when grace takes you from a place where you begin by thinking it would be nice if His word comes true, to the place where you are able to say that it would be impossible for God to be without doing it.
And even as a rose bud opens petal by petal to become a rose blossom that blooms to then become a seed that germinates in the soil to yield more roses, the unfolding of His word enlightens, making faith rise in you steadily, revealing the fragrance of His wondrous provision, driving away the darkness of fear and confusion in you, in these times of trouble and turmoil. And the fruit of it all would be-
Succumbing to the love of money, Balaam, the prophet was going the wrong way, when the Lord miraculously intervened to restrain his folly, through a donkey! And it is so true that but for the miraculous interference of God in our lives, you and I would not be seated in His presence, feeding on His goodness today.
Balaam saw with eyes opened an aerial view of the tents of the Israelites. They were arranged in the form of a Cross and so with enlightened eyes he proclaimed that they were a people blessed by the Lord, and who cannot be cursed. [Numbers 24:1-9] He knew that he was on the wrong side!
But, as a chosen child of God, you are blessed. The blessing of Abraham is upon you, to make you grow from strength to strength, for the Lord is determined to bless you.
The dispirited disciples on the road to Emmaus, were joined by the Risen Lord, though they did not recognize Him. But, as He broke bread with them in supper their eyes were opened, to know that He was the Risen Messiah. It was to them a glorious revelation of who He was, and what He had done, and was continuing to do in their lives. [Luke 24:28-32]
Paul was blinded by a light that shone brighter than the sun, as the Lord encountered him on the road to Damascus. And he recovered his sight, when externally it was scales falling off his eyes, but internally it was a cleansing of his heart, by the Blood of the Lamb, Lord Jesus Christ. It found him immediately sharing the word of God, to the amazement of all. [Acts 9:18,19] His life was turned around to move forward powerfully in the right direction, to declare his zealous allegiance to the Lord Jesus Christ, to proclaim, ‘It is no longer I, but Christ who lives in me’, for it was the Light of Christ that shone in his heart, driving away the darkness of the enemy, who seeks to steal, kill and destroy. He knew and experienced the God who supplied all his needs, the love from which nothing could separate him. And he waited with rejoicing the crown of righteousness that was laid up for him, and also for every heart that truly believes in the Savior, Lord Jesus Christ.
May the brilliance of His word, fill your heart this day, and every day of your life, as you meditate upon it day and night, to see the work of your hands prosper. And may the light of the scriptures, give you insight and understanding that will see you rise above difficulties, to reign in life through the One Man Jesus Christ, the Light of the world. In the Name of Christ Jesus Amen.
