Tag: light and truth
Washed and renewed!
Scripture reading for September 27th: Titus 3, Psalm 43, Proverbs 7
Titus 3: 3-7 “For we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, let astray, slaves to various passions and pleasures, passing our days in malice and envy, hated by others and hating one another. But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, He saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to His own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, Whom He poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that being justified by His grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.”
We who are followers of Christ have a ‘past life’ that we are not proud of. We were born in sin and until we were ‘born again,’ we lived like the world in the passions of our flesh. But when Jesus Christ laid hold of us and we repented of our sins, we were saved out of the old life and washed from our sins through faith in Jesus’ blood applied on the altar of heaven for us. We received the gift of the Holy Spirit, Whose job it is to form in us the image of Jesus Christ and renew our minds to think the thoughts of God and humbly walk by faith. We are ‘justified’, made right with God, and adopted into His forever family. We are full of exceeding joy as we now have Light and Truth living in us. We respond in worship and embrace Jesus, the Living Word in worship and adoration! He is our Wisdom and Insight now and forever!
Psalm 43:3-4 “Send out Your Light and Your Truth; let them lead me; let them bring me to Your holy hill and to Your dwelling! Then I will go to the altar of God, to God my exceeding Joy, and I will praise You with the lyre, O God, my God!”
Prayer: Father God, thank You for Light and Truth in Your Son! Thank You for washing me from my sins and adopting me into Your family, renewing my mind and giving me true wisdom and insight through Your Holy Word. You are my ‘exceeding Joy’ and my delight! I trust You to keep me each day from the seduction of this world and my flesh. Use me to proclaim Your goodness and mercy to those still lost.
Proverbs 7:4-5 “Say to wisdom, “You are my sister,” and call insight your intimate friend, to keep you from the forbidden woman, from the adulteress with her smooth words.”
Words of wisdom and encouragement
Scripture reading for March 1st: Acts 27, Psalm 43, Proverbs 12
Acts 27:33-38 “As day was about to dawn, Paul urged them all to take some food, saying, “Today is the fourteenth day that you have continued in suspense and without food, having taken nothing. Therefore I urge you to take some food. For it will give you strength, for not a hair is to perish from the head of any of you.” And when he had said these things, he took bread, and giving thanks to God in the presence of all he broke it and began to eat. Then they all were encouraged and ate some food themselves. (We were in all 276 persons in the ship.) And when they had eaten, they lightened the ship, throwing the wheat into the sea.”
Paul was a prisoner of Rome under the control of a centurion named Julius. He had favor with him and Paul was allowed to visit his friends before boarding the ship. It was nearing winter, and sailing was treacherous. Paul warned them about possible loss, but the ship’s owner and captain called the shots. During the trip, a storm arose that caused them to despair of life! For fourteen days they drifted in the gale winds. Paul spoke up as the time of approaching land drew near. He encouraged the men to take heart and eat. He told them not a hair of their head would perish. He blessed the bread and ate, along with the 275 others on this ship. He gave a word of wisdom–light and truth making souls glad.
Psalm 43:3-4 “Send out Your light and truth; let them lead me; let them bring me to your holy hill and to Your dwelling! Then I will go to the altar of God, to God my exceeding Joy, and I will praise You with the lyre, O God, my God!”
Prayer: Father God, thank You for giving words of wisdom to Your servants to be a blessing and encouragement to all people and to show signs to the lost of Your love and care. Your Word brings light and truth to my soul. It leads me to Your holy dwelling and lifts anxiety from my heart replacing it with joy and gladness. Let Your Word bring hope, salvation and encouragement through my lips!
Proverbs 12:25 “Anxiety in a man’s heart weighs him down, but a good word makes him glad.”
God over all–blessed forever!
Scripture reading for June 3rd: 1st Kings 4, Proverbs 1-2, Psalm 43, Romans 9
Romans 9:1-5 “I am speaking the truth in Christ–I am not lying; my conscience bears me witness in the Holy Spirit–that I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart. For I could wish that I myself were accursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my brothers, my kinsmen according to the flesh. They are Israelites, and to them belong the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the worship, and the promises. To them belong the patriarchs, and from their race, according to the flesh, is the Christ, Who is God over all, blessed forever. Amen.”
Paul was a Jew and loved God and His people. He knew the Old Testament Scriptures and was taught in the law and worship and promises and then taught them to others. But Paul encountered Christ and now Christ had given Him a new and deeper understanding of God’s grace to the whole world. He now understood that the Jews were privileged people but they were blind to Jesus Christ as their Messiah. He was so full of anguish for his own brothers and sisters that if he could, he would be accursed so that they might be saved! Sounds like the heart of Jesus Christ Himself for His own people, Jew or Gentiles! May God be praised and blessed forever and ever! Amen!
Psalm 43:3-4 “Send out Your light and Your truth; let them lead me; let them bring me to Your holy hill and to Your dwelling. Then I will go to the altar of God, to God my exceeding joy, and I will praise you with the lyre, O God, my God.”
Prayer: Our Father, You have sent Your light and Truth in the person of Jesus Christ to both Jew and Gentile. Thank You for being my Exceeding Joy! I pray for the salvation of all peoples, especially the Jews who had the privileges of carrying the Seed of Christ, receiving Your laws and promises. May all peoples bless You forever and ever! Amen!
Proverbs 1:7 “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction.”
Receive your full reward!
Scripture reading for November 25th: 2nd John
Key Scriptures for over-comers: 2nd John 7-9 “Many deceivers, who do not acknowledge Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh, have gone out into the world. Any such person is the deceiver and the antichrist. Watch out that you do not lose what you have worked for, but that you may be rewarded fully. Anyone who runs ahead and does not continue in the teaching of Christ does not have God; whoever continues in the teaching has both the Father and the Son.”
John the elder’s second letter warns the church to watch out for deceivers that are teaching a different gospel; denying that Jesus came in the flesh as God’s Son and Messiah. They appeal to human reason that no one could be raised from the dead. We must continue in sound doctrine and believe truth or we may lose our reward when Christ appears! Trusting that Christ Jesus came as a man and died and rose again is the foundation of our salvation and alone can save us.
Observations for over-comers: Deception will mark the last days before Christ returns. Hold on to truth! “Send forth Your light and Your truth, let them guide me; let them bring me to Your holy mountain, to the place where You dwell.” (Psalm 43:3)
Be careful that your eyes are good!
Scripture reading for March 17th: Luke 11
Key scriptures for over-comers: Luke 11:34-36 “Your eye is the lamp of your body. When your eyes are good, your whole body also is full of light. But when they are bad, your body also is full of darkness. See to it, then, that the light within you is not darkness. therefore, if your whole body is full of light, and no part of it dark, it will be completely lighted, as when the light of a lamp shines on you.”
In the natural world there are wave-lengths of light that do not illuminate. Some of these are known as “black light.” This light does very little to illuminate what our eyes could see. Jesus warned of ‘light’ that could be inside of us that was actually ‘darkness’. He wasn’t talking about light, but about ideas and understanding that was not based in truth. Man is actually born in darkness and must be reborn through the ‘light’ of the gospel. (1st Corinthians 4:4)
We must carefully guard what we allow into our bodies and souls through our natural eyes. The eye is the lamp of the body and our spiritual eyes are the lamp of our souls. When we allow our inner man to be filled with sin and lust, our bodies and souls fill with darkness. We can be deceived and enslaved by the darkness which leads to eternal darkness, weeping and gnashing of teeth!
Observations for over-comers: We must keep our eyes on the Lord and His word, the only source of true light! “Send forth Your light and Your truth, let them guide me; let them bring me to Your holy mountain, to the place where You dwell.” (Psalm 43:3)