great light

Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, ‘I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness but will have the light of life.’ Then the Pharisees said to him, ‘You are testifying on your own behalf; your testimony is not valid.’ Jesus answered, ‘Even if I testify on my own behalf, my testimony is valid because I know where I have come from and where I am going, but you do not know where I come from or where I am going. You judge by human standards; I judge no one. Yet even if I do judge, my judgement is valid; for it is not I alone who judge, but I and the Father who sent me. In your law it is written that the testimony of two witnesses is valid. I testify on my own behalf, and the Father who sent me testifies on my behalf.’ Then they said to him, ‘Where is your Father?’ Jesus answered, ‘You know neither me nor my Father. If you knew me, you would know my Father also.’ (John 8:12-19, NRSV)

Have you ever noticed that when you light a match or a lighter, that the darkness seems to sink away?

darkness seems to be foreboding, and all encompassing, yet the smallest amount of light makes the darkness shrink away!

You have the light of the world dwelling inside of you! You have a great light shining from you to make the darkness run away screaming!

Be a wonderful beacon of hope shining in the darkness of this world, to show people the way to God and the saving relationship we all can have with Jesus!

Faith

So we do not lose heart. Even though our outer nature is wasting away, our inner nature is being renewed day by day. For this slight momentary affliction is preparing us for an eternal weight of glory beyond all measure, because we look not at what can be seen but at what cannot be seen; for what can be seen is temporary, but what cannot be seen is eternal. (2 Corinthians 4:16-18, NRSV)

We live and watch for what we can not see…

We live by faith the assurance of things unseen. We can not lose heart because it seems like we are falling apart, and losing every battle here in this place. We must walk on and press on towards the goal, because even though we can not see the eternal, we will be fulfilled in the coming of our savior.

We are being made new every day and are being made more in the likeness of Jesus, so hold tight and know that we will be there one day…

Praise

I will recount the gracious deeds of the Lord, the praiseworthy acts of the Lord, because of all that the Lord has done for us, and the great favor to the house of Israel that he has shown them according to his mercy, according to the abundance of his steadfast love. For he said, ‘Surely they are my people, children who will not deal falsely’; and he became their savior in all their distress. It was no messenger or angel but his presence that saved them; in his love and in his pity he redeemed them; he lifted them up and carried them all the days of old. (Isaiah 63:7-9, NRSV)

The Lord has done great things for us. He has saved us from the wrath we deserve, by sending His son to dwell among us, and to be one of us. To know our lot and experience what we experience. He has given us more than any of us have deserved and saved us from our worst enemies: ourselves!

His steadfast love and mercy outshine our evil and He has given us more than we could ever ask for! Praise Him as He is worthy of our praise!

stumble…

‘If any of you put a stumbling-block before one of these little ones who believe in me, it would be better for you if a great millstone were fastened around your neck and you were drowned in the depth of the sea. Woe to the world because of stumbling-blocks! Occasions for stumbling are bound to come, but woe to the one by whom the stumbling-block comes! ‘If your hand or your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off and throw it away; it is better for you to enter life maimed or lame than to have two hands or two feet and to be thrown into the eternal fire. And if your eye causes you to stumble, tear it out and throw it away; it is better for you to enter life with one eye than to have two eyes and to be thrown into the hell of fire. (Matthew 18:6-9, NRSV)

Have you ever tripped over something?

When I trip over something I usually stop and look back at where I tripped to see what I tripped over. Sometimes I can see what made me trip, but sometimes I can’t…

Today’s text is one of the texts that haunts me. We are not to be a stumbling block for others, or place before our brothers and sisters stumbling blocks, yet being ourselves, we can cause others to question and wonder about things. I wonder if I have ever caused someone to stumble and I am sure the answer is yes.

I also know that my eye has caused me to sin, and my hand, and my feet… Yet I still have both eyes, hands and feet…

We are a stumbling block for some to come to God, yet others make there way to a relationship through us. So how do we take this verse then. Much like yesterday’s verse, we are not able to make it on our own. Only through Jesus do we find a way to stand before the throne, and only through Jesus do we find a way to not make it necessary to tie a millstone around our necks and throw ourselves into the sea…