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For His Glory!
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The Light of the World John 8:12 Then Jesus again spoke to them, saying, "I am the Light of the world; he who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life." (NAS unless noted)We find several points of truth in this Scripture:
John 12:46 "I have come as Light into the world, so that everyone who believes in Me will not remain in darkness.Again Yeshua proclaims:
It appears that the world is in darkness and Yeshua is the Light that came into that darkness. What is Yeshua pointing out and what can we learn from these statements? When reading the creation events in Genesis 1 we read: Genesis 1:1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.2 And the earth was formless and void, and darkness was over the surface of the deep; and the Spirit of God was moving over the surface of the waters. 3 Then God said, "Let there be light"; and there was light. 4 And God saw that the light was good; and God separated the light from the darkness. What could this darkness represent? The dominion of Satan is darkness - God’s dominion is Light: Ac 26:18 to open their eyes so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the dominion of Satan to God…Col 1:13 For He delivered us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son,Could it be? Satan was there (darkness) at creation week and wanted authority over God’s creation - so disguised as an angel of light, Satan deceived man and brought the darkness that Yeshua came to dispel. Our Creator is Light: 1John 1:5 This is the message we have heard from Him and announce to you, that God is Light, and in Him there is no darkness at all.Psalm 36:9 For with You is the fountain of life; In Your light we see light.Revelation 22:5 And there will no longer be any night; and they will not have need of the light of a lamp nor the light of the sun, because the Lord God will illumine them; and they will reign forever and ever.From His Word comes Light: Psalm 119:105 Your word is a lamp to my feet And a light to my path.Psalm 119:130 The unfolding of Your words gives light; It gives understanding to the simple.Proverbs 6:23 For the commandment is a lamp and the teaching is light…Nothing can hide from His Light: Job 34:22 "There is no darkness or deep shadow Where the workers of iniquity may hide themselves.Psalm 90:8 You have placed our iniquities before You, Our secret sins in the light of Your presence.Mark 4:22 "For nothing is hidden, except to be revealed; nor has anything been secret, but that it would come to light.Daniel 2:22 "It is He who reveals the profound and hidden things; He knows what is in the darkness, And the light dwells with Him.We start in darkness but there is hope: Isaiah 9:2 The people who walk in darkness Will see a great light; Those who live in a dark land, The light will shine on them.Micah 7:8 … Though I dwell in darkness, the LORD is a light for me.Acts 13:47 "For so the Lord has commanded us, ‘I HAVE PLACED YOU AS A LIGHT FOR THE GENTILES, THAT YOU MAY BRING SALVATION TO THE END OF THE EARTH.’"Psalm 107:14 He brought them out of darkness and the shadow of death, And broke their bands apart.Called out of darkness to be (His) light to the world: Matthew 5:14, 16 "You are the light of the world… Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.Ephesians 5:8 for you were formerly darkness, but now you are Light in the Lord; walk as children of LightJohn 12:36 "While you have the Light, believe in the Light, so that you may become sons of Light." …1Thessilonians 5:5 for you are all sons of light and sons of day. We are not of night nor of darkness;2Corinthians 4:6 For God, who said, "Light shall shine out of darkness," is the One who has shone in our hearts to give the Light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.Walk in the Light: 1John 1:7 but if we walk in the Light as He Himself is in the Light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin.Psalm 112:4 Light arises in the darkness for the upright…1John 2:10 The one who loves his brother abides in the Light …Isaiah 58:10 And if you give yourself to the hungry And satisfy the desire of the afflicted, Then your light will rise in darkness And your gloom will become like midday.When struggles come consider: Ephesians 6:12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.Proverbs 4:19 The way of the wicked is like darkness…Ecclesiastes 2:14 … but the fool walks in darkness…Psalm 107:10-11 There were those who dwelt in darkness and in the shadow of death, Prisoners in misery and chains, Because they had rebelled against the words of God, And spurned the counsel of the Most High.Yeshua (Jesus) is our Light: John 1:4 In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men. (Must be born again - new life.)Therefore stay away from darkness: 2Corithians 6:14 Do not be bound together with unbelievers; for what partnership have righteousness and lawlessness, or what fellowship has light with darkness?Romans 13:12 …Therefore let us lay aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light.Ephesians 5:11 And do not participate in the unfruitful deeds of darkness, but instead even expose them;Why? 1Pet 2:9 But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God's own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light;You will know them by their fruit: Ephesians 5:9 (for the fruit of the Light consists in all goodness and righteousness and truth),Blessed be YHVH - for He has given us the Light of the World - that we might have fellowship with Him; therefore "Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven" Amen |
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Proverbs 4:18 But the path of the righteous is like the light of dawn, That shines brighter and brighter until the full day. Proverbs 6:23 For the commandment is a lamp and the teaching is light… What a wonderful promise we have; the way of the righteous is like the light of dawn because we obey the commandment which is a lamp. As we live by YHVH’s teachings we reflect and lift up the true Light of the world. Growing brighter and brighter until we wholly reflect our Savior. By doing this we bring His light to others; that they may also see the truth of His Word and learn to walk in the Light. |
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"Getting something done is as accomplishment; getting something done right is an achievement" Without light can we get things done right? How can we tell if we have no light? 1Peter 2:9 But you are A CHOSEN RACE, A royal PRIESTHOOD, A HOLY NATION, A PEOPLE FOR God’s OWN POSSESSION, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; Let us walk in the lighted path of right (righteousness); achieve a transformation by becoming brighter and brighter. Choose to forsake the darkness and follow The Light of the World. |
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In our pursuit of humility: (Lesson from humility in daily life.) "Let us study the Bible portrait of the most humble man that ever lived-the Lord Jesus. And let us ask our brethren, and the world, whether they recognize in us the likeness to the original. Let us be content with nothing less the taking each of these texts as the promise of what God will work in us, as the revelation of what the Spirit of Jesus will put within us. Allow each failure and shortcoming to only the more quickly turn us to the meek and lowly Lamb of God in the assurance that where He is enthroned in the heart, His humility and gentleness will be the streams of living water that flow from with us. " Andrew Murray Here we have the admonition to study the Word. To seek the indwelling Light of the world to light our path - to radiate so others can only see Yeshua in us; to God’s glory. John 3:21 But he who practices the truth comes to the Light, so that his deeds may be manifested as having been wrought in God. "And let us ask our brethren, and the world, whether they recognize in us the likeness to the original." |
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Understanding the precepts of prayer. Prayer for Others; Moses’ Example? Exodus 34:9 He said, "If now I have found favor in Your sight, O Lord, I pray, let the Lord go along in our midst, even though the people are so obstinate, and pardon our iniquity and our sin, and take us as Your own possession."I am amazed at the humility of Moses. Here we have an example that should cause us to pause and examine our prayer life. Moses knew he had favor with YHVH; he consistently trusted in YHVH. With compassion Moses besought the Deliverer for forgiveness toward the obstinate Israelites. When mistreated by others do we pray for them as Moses? Father, give us a heart for those that resist Your divine favor; that all may be Your possession. Walking in the Light of Your Word. |
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How does God feel about issues we face today? Cast your cares on him… Ps 55:22 Cast your burden on the LORD, and He will sustain you. He will never allow the righteous to be moved.When we are having difficulties and don’t have peace, chances are we are keeping our own burdens and relying on our own strength to get by. We start to stress about the cares, problems and issues we are facing. This steals our peace and joy. Do we really believe that our heavenly father is in control and has our best interest at heart? He wants us to put our faith in Him. Trusting that no matter what the circumstances are, we will not fail or be pushed over because He is our strength if we are leaning on Him. Ps 28:7 The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusted in him, and I am helped: therefore my heart greatly rejoices; and with my song will I praise him.Material in this section will be based on various prayer diaries. |
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Worker dead at desk for five days From the New York Times: Bosses of a publishing firm are trying to work out why no one noticed that one of their employees had been sitting dead at his desk for five days before anyone asked if he was feeling okay. George Turklebaum, 51, who had been employed as a proof-reader at a New York firm for 30 years, had a heart attack in the open-plan office he shared with 23 other workers.He quietly passed away on Monday, but nobody noticed until Saturday morning when an office cleaner asked why he was working during the weekend. His boss, Elliot Washiaski, said: "George was always the first guy in each morning and the last to leave at night, so no one found it unusual that he was in the same position all that time and didn’t say anything. He was always absorbed in his work and kept much to himself." A post mortem examination revealed that he had been dead for five days after suffering a coronary. George was proofreading manuscripts of medical textbooks when he died. You may want to give your co-workers a nudge occasionally. The moral of the story: Don’t work too hard. Nobody notices anyway.
Things Got Ya Down? Well Then, Consider These . . . The next Sunday morning, a few minutes before 11:00 AM all of the doctors and nurses nervously waited outside the ward to see for themselves what the terrible phenomenon was all about. Some were holding wooden crosses, prayer books, and other holy objects to ward off the evil spirits. Just when the clock struck 11:00, Pookie Johnson , the part-time Sunday sweeper, entered the ward and unplugged the life support system so he could use the vacuum cleaner. So much for that effort The average cost of rehabilitating a seal after the Exxon Valdez Oil spill in Alaska was $80,000.00. At a special ceremony, two of the most expensively saved animals were being released back into the wild amid cheers and applause from onlookers. A minute later, in full view, a killer whale ate them both. What we listen to influences us A woman came home to find her husband in the kitchen shaking frantically, almost in a dancing frenzy, with some kind of wire running from his waist towards the electric kettle. Intending to jolt him away from the deadly current, she whacked him with a handy plank of wood, breaking his arm in two places. Up to that moment, he had been happily listening to his Walkman. Are You OK Now? - No? Suddenly, all two thousand pigs broke loose and escaped through a broken fence, stampeding madly. The two helpless protesters were trampled to death. What a Memory Issue It came back with 'Return to Sender' stamped on it. Forgetting it was the bomb; he opened it and was blown to bits. Some of the material contained in this section is for informational purposes only and has not been verified by us. |
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The local news station was interviewing an 84 year old lady because she had just gotten married - for the fourth time. The interviewer asked her questions about her life, about what it felt like to be marrying again at 84, and then about her new husband’s occupation. "He’s a funeral director," she answered. Interesting, the newsman thought. He then asked her if she wouldn’t mind telling him a little more about her first three husbands and what they did for a living. She paused for a few moments, needing time to reflect on all those years. After a short time, a smile came to her face and she answered proudly, explaining that she first married a banker when she was in her early 20’s, then a circus ringmaster when in her 40’s, later on a preacher when in her 60’s and now, in her 80‘s a funeral director. The interviewer looked at her, quite astonished, and asked why she had married four men with such diverse careers. "Easy son," she smiled. "I married one for the money… two for the show… three to get ready… and four to go." Have a good day! |
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Those, whose desire is to be in one accord with the world, deny Christ. There cannot be a dual harmony with God and with mammon. We can only be in harmony with one, subservient to one, and the choice is left up to us.
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Humility is a strange thing…when you think you’ve gained it, you’ve lost it. When your outgo exceeds your income, your upkeep is your downfall. Smiles never go up in price or down in value. To leave footsteps on the sands of time, you have to be on your toes. There are only two lasting things we give our children; one is roots, the other is wings. |
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Look up and smell the flowers I have a daily routine that I call the "walk about" in which I take a quick stroll around the house and yard. Most of the time I have one or two buckets. One to pick up my two lovely dogs’ droppings and the other to pull weeds during a quick once over as I walk. I have found that I am so busy looking down at the ground in search of brown piles or the stray weed in a flower bed that I completely miss the flowers and beauty that all my hard work and Yahweh’s blessing of plants growing has produced. Recently on the TV show Biggest Loser, one of the contestants was upset because although he had already lost 200 pounds, all he could see was that he was still over a hundred pounds from his goal weight. He couldn’t celebrate his wonderful achievement because he was so focused and overwhelmed by what was left to do. Yahweh has shown me that if I don’t celebrate the progress, the achievement already gained or produced, I will lose my motivation in my discouragement. I am running a good race, I am pulling my weeds and picking up my yard but I will not have any enjoyment if I don’t stop to smell the flowers and appreciate the wonder of Yahweh’s creation. |
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Ps 119:105 Your word is a lamp to my feet And a light to my path.Ps 119:130 The unfolding of Your words gives light; It gives understanding to the simple.Here we have two wonderful promises in keeping with being called out of darkness into His marvelous Light. A reason to seek Him through His Word. Blessed be YHVH (Genesis 14:20 And blessed be God Most High…) |
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1. Yes and Amen - 2Corinthians 1:18-20 2 The southern Kingdom (Judah) - Jeremiah 1:1-5 3. Caesarea - Acts 10:1 4. Righteousness - Romans 6-18 5. Three days - Exodus 15:22 6. Peter - Acts 2:1-14 7. Elizabeth - Luke 1:43 |