The Light of the Lord

Posted on by korgrocker

“The Lord is my light and my salvation— so why should I be afraid? The Lord is my fortress, protecting me from danger, so why should I tremble? When evil people come to devour me, when my enemies and foes attack me, they will stumble and fall. Though a mighty army surrounds me, my heart will not be afraid. Even if I am attacked, I will remain confident.”
Psalm 27:1-3 NLT

A confident statement from David starts this Psalm. An unequivocal declaration about what the Lord means to him. At this point in his life David had no doubts, that the Lord was his “light and salvation”. Psalm 27 was another Psalm written by David and the contents and the sentiments expressed repeat once again a stage in his life where he was in danger. There were two occasions at least where David’s life was under threat – when he was being chased around the highways and byways of Palestine by King Saul, and when he had to flee from his son Absolom’s rebellion. At both times there was little else that took up his thoughts and prayers. He wrote about his “enemies and foes”, “mighty armies”, “evil people”, and being attacked, but his confidence in God was unshaken.

David started with “The Lord is my light”. What did he mean by that? In those days, “light” was a spiritual word meaning knowledge, truth and goodness. This sort of meaning is still around today. We talk about “seeing the light” or having a “light bulb moment“, meaning that all of a sudden we understand something that previously eluded us. Perhaps we were having a conversation with someone who was being rather vague with his language or description. It may have been a teacher, helping us with a difficult maths problem but who was not wanting to give us the answer. So a series of hints gradually led to us to “see the light”. “I get it now” was the usual response. 

There was a day just after the disciples had found the empty tomb that first Easter Sunday morning, when two disciples were walking away from Jerusalem towards a small town called Emmaus. Jesus caught up with them and asked them what their problem was, because “sadness [was] written across their faces” a graphic description of their emotional state at the time. They explained their misery to Jesus, who was kept from being recognised, and He then ” …  took them through the writings of Moses and all the prophets, explaining from all the Scriptures the things concerning himself” (Luke 24:27). When the two disciples were nearly at their destination we read that they begged Jesus to stay with them, which He did. At the subsequent meal ” …He took the bread and blessed it. Then he broke it and gave it to them. Suddenly, their eyes were opened, and they recognized him. And at that moment he disappeared!” (Luke 24:30-31). Suddenly the two disciples realised who had been walking along the road with them. It was a “light bulb” moment that made them return to Jerusalem. “They said to each other, “Didn’t our hearts burn within us as he talked with us on the road and explained the Scriptures to us?”” (Luke 24:32). Those two disciples suddenly “saw the light” and received the understanding about what truly went on in Jerusalem that first Easter weekend.

We pilgrims suddenly saw the “light” the day we were saved. All of a sudden we transitioned from the Kingdom of darkness into the Kingdom of Light. Paul wrote, “For he has rescued us from the kingdom of darkness and transferred us into the Kingdom of his dear Son, who purchased our freedom and forgave our sins” (Colossians 1:13-14). Our previously monochrome existence was all of a sudden transformed into glorious technicolour, exposing a world of which we previously had no idea even existed. John wrote, “This is the message we heard from Jesus and now declare to you: God is light, and there is no darkness in him at all. So we are lying if we say we have fellowship with God but go on living in spiritual darkness; we are not practicing the truth. But if we are living in the light, as God is in the light, then we have fellowship with each other, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, cleanses us from all sin” (1 John 1:5-7). We also read about Paul’s conversion on the Damascus Road, “As he was approaching Damascus on this mission, a light from heaven suddenly shone down around him” (Acts 9:3). The Light that Paul saw was so bright that he was blinded and his conversion was so complete that ” …immediately he began preaching about Jesus in the synagogues, saying, “He is indeed the Son of God!”” We pilgrims may not have had such a dramatic experience of “seeing the light” in the way that Paul did, but nevertheless we now understand that the lives we are living are being illuminated by the Lord of all, Jesus Himself.

One of Jesus’ “I am” statements can be found in John 8:12, “Jesus spoke to the people once more and said, “I am the light of the world. If you follow me, you won’t have to walk in darkness, because you will have the light that leads to life”“. It was a direct and very clear statement that exposed the dichotomy in the Jewish religious society when Jesus walked on this world. The Pharisees were upset with His claim because it gave them an uncomfortable choice. If they believed in Jesus and His claim of being the Light of the world, then they had to discard their whole philosophy and spiritual way of life, and instead become a disciple of the Master Himself, following Him and His teaching. However if they didn’t then they were being accused of stumbling around in darkness, with the implication that they were heading for a spiritual death. Paul defined his previous life before he met Jesus as his being a “Pharisee of Pharisees” so his conversion was dramatic in the extreme. No wonder that he fell over when Jesus met him that day.

This is the message of hope that we propagate to those around us, those living in a spiritually dark and hopeless world. They are in the same camp as the Pharisees, stumbling around, like sheep without a shepherd, and heading for a lost eternity. We have a message of light and salvation that we administer with the same confidence that David had. Jesus is the Light of the world. There is no other invention or claim of man that comes even anywhere close to our amazing God and His Kingdom.

Dear Heavenly Father of Lights. We praise and worship You today. We honour You and exalt Your Holy Name. Only You are the Light of the world. Amen.

Light in Our Darkness

Posted on by korgrocker

“You rescue the humble, but you humiliate the proud. You light a lamp for me. The Lord, my God, lights up my darkness. In your strength I can crush an army; with my God I can scale any wall.”
Psalm 18:27-29 NLT

Psalm 18:28 reads, “You light a lamp for me. The Lord, my God, lights up my darkness“. There was something personally illuminating about this verse when David wrote it. His relationship with God was something precious and it gave him a warm glow within. David knew that with God in his life, there was no need to stumble around in darkness, tripping up over every obstacle and challenge that he encountered. He knew that all he had to do was to ask the Creator of light to illuminate whatever David was facing so that God’s ways were clear. 

One of the first things God did when He formed the heavens and the earth was to create light. Genesis 1:3-4, “Then God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. And God saw that the light was good. Then he separated the light from the darkness“. This was an essential part of our created environment, because without it the world would be a very different place. The physical delights of our world, the colours in the flowers and the sunsets, would have been meaningless, though, without the creation of light-sensors, our eyes. What a marvellously complex piece of our human bodies these are. Of course, as our physicists inform us, light is just another frequency band on the spectrum of electromagnetic radiation, and back in my school days we experimented with various objects to determine light’s properties. Today, light is also being used in data conduits, to satisfy man’s seemingly insatiable appetite to transfer huge amounts of data around the world. But it all started with a simple command from God – “let there be light” – and God was pleased with the result, calling it “good”. 

But as we pilgrims know, light doesn’t just exist in a physical realm. There is a spiritual meaning as well. In Old Testament days, God’s people were experiencing a terrible spiritual darkness, and Isaiah prophesised, “The people who walk in darkness will see a great light. For those who live in a land of deep darkness, a light will shine” (Isaiah 9:2). Isaiah could see in his spirit a time coming when God would once again introduce light to this fallen world, and hundreds of years later the Messiah came, saying, “ … I am the light of the world. If you follow me, you won’t have to walk in darkness, because you will have the light that leads to life” (John 8:12b). 

Spiritual darkness is symptomatic of a life being lived outside of, and without, God. And so, there are many people, even some who call themselves Christian, who are walking around in the same darkness that afflicted the Israelites in Isaiah’s times. There is a timeless proverb – Proverbs 4:19, “But the way of the wicked is like total darkness. They have no idea what they are stumbling over“. The sad thing is that these people fail to recognise and understand what this darkness is all about. They will stumble around in a fog of misunderstanding and pointlessness, seemingly aware of something “spiritual” within them that yearns for satisfaction, and they will attempt to meet this need by material or hedonistic means only to find that the spiritual vacuum is still there in the cold light of morning. But another proverb – Proverbs 4:18, “The way of the righteous is like the first gleam of dawn, which shines ever brighter until the full light of day”. There is only one way to bring light into our spiritual darkness and that is through Jesus and His righteousness. So we pilgrims do our best to take the hands of the blind around us and lead them to the Light, Jesus Himself.

The old Apostle John wrote, “This is the message we heard from Jesus and now declare to you: God is light, and there is no darkness in him at all. So we are lying if we say we have fellowship with God but go on living in spiritual darkness; we are not practicing the truth. But if we are living in the light, as God is in the light, then we have fellowship with each other, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, cleanses us from all sin” (1 John 1:5-7). There is no dubiety or anything tricky about these three verses. There is a relationship between God’s spiritual light, the truth about Jesus, and the forgiveness of sins. And anyone can come out of the darkness into His marvellous light. Anyone. Anytime. Anywhere.

Father God, the Maker of the Heavens and the Earth, we thank You for Your physical and spiritual light, providing a complete solution to the needs of mankind. We are so grateful. Amen.

Clash of Two Kingdoms

Posted on by korgrocker

““Am I a Jew?” Pilate retorted. “Your own people and their leading priests brought you to me for trial. Why? What have you done?” Jesus answered, “My Kingdom is not an earthly kingdom. If it were, my followers would fight to keep me from being handed over to the Jewish leaders. But my Kingdom is not of this world.” Pilate said, “So you are a king?” Jesus responded, “You say I am a king. Actually, I was born and came into the world to testify to the truth. All who love the truth recognise that what I say is true.””
John 18:35-37 NLT

In our world today different kingdoms, earthly kingdoms, are at war. Nations against nations. Peoples against peoples. Strife and discord everywhere. We see mini-wars between individuals being fought in court rooms, in council chambers, in neighbourhoods, even in families. But before Pilate Jesus pointed out that His Kingdom was not part of the global mish-mash of kingdoms. If not an earthly kingdom then it could only be a spiritual kingdom, a kingdom in a different sphere. In a different place. Of a different dimension. God’s Kingdom. So as far as Jesus was concerned there was nothing to defend in an earthly environment. The only adversary that Jesus had was the devil and he was already a defeated foe. The devil had failed to win a battle in Heaven, had been thrown out with a third of the angels there, and could only take out his frustrations, and proclivity for evil and wickedness, in the domain of the human being. And even here, with God on our side, he only has the power to cause mayhem if we let him. Peter wrote, “Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour. Stand firm against him, and be strong in your faith. Remember that your family of believers all over the world is going through the same kind of suffering you are” (1 Peter 5:8-9). From Ephesians 6 we pilgrims will be aware of the resources that God has made available for our defence against the devil and his minions. 

In the Bible, the two kingdoms, the kingdom of the world and the Kingdom of God, are often portrayed as darkness and light. Colossians 1:12-13, “and giving joyful thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of his holy people in the kingdom of light. For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves”. And it is easy to relate to the world order being a place of darkness, as we survey all the evil and wicked things that are going on. But to us pilgrims it is not an easy option, living at the same time in two kingdoms. In His High Priestly prayer, Jesus prayed for His disciples. We read, “I will remain in the world no longer, but they are still in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them by the power of your name, the name you gave me, so that they may be one as we are one. …  My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one” (John 17:11, 15). 

How we live out our world in two kingdoms is always going to be a challenge and one in which we constantly need the help of the Holy Spirit to get right. Some people shut themselves away from worldly contact and head for the places of separation, living ascetically as monks or nuns. Others limit their life in God’s Kingdom to a pew on a Sunday morning, living in the other kingdom for the rest of the week. Jesus taught, “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven” (Matthew 5:14-16). We are ambassadors of Christ to the kingdom that we once belonged to and renounced when we became born-again followers of Jesus. We shine as beacons, exampling God’s light to a dying world, constantly proclaiming the Gospel to those around us. Yes, there will occasionally be a clash between the two kingdoms as we go about our business as God’s children, but we know that one day we will enter our place of rest in a Kingdom where God reigns supreme and all vestiges of the earthly kingdom has disappeared. 

Dear Father God. “May Your Kingdom, may Your will be done, on earth as it is in Heaven”. Amen.

Blazing Torches

Posted on by korgrocker

“The leading priests and Pharisees had given Judas a contingent of Roman soldiers and Temple guards to accompany him. Now with blazing torches, lanterns, and weapons, they arrived at the olive grove. Jesus fully realized all that was going to happen to him, so he stepped forward to meet them. “Who are you looking for?” he asked.”
John 18:3-4 NLT

Imagine the scene. It was dark and Jesus and His disciples were in the Olive Grove, in a place where they usually went. There would have been sufficient light from the stars and perhaps the moon to provide a half-lit monochrome environment. Around them were the olive trees, standing still and shadowy. And then in the distance there appeared lights, the “blazing torches”, the occasional lantern, and sounds, clinking of weapons, whispered voices. Some historians have even estimated that there may have been as many as six hundred soldiers present in that military contingent, though this would seem a bit unlikely, just to arrest one man. But onward they came, tramping through the Olive Grove. Fear would have been starting to rise in the hearts of the eleven disciples, who were there with Jesus.

Of course we remember Peter’s words, as recorded in Matthew 26:35, ““No!” Peter insisted. “Even if I have to die with you, I will never deny you!” And all the other disciples vowed the same“. The intentions of the disciples to die for their Master and friend were clear, but Peter’s words evaporated into thin air when faced with the overwhelming force arraigned against them. But Jesus had all under control. He “stepped forward to meet them” and asked for clarification about their intentions. What happened next we will consider in a future blog.

But the “blazing torches”? All these events were taking place in the darkness just outside Jerusalem and at a time when ordinary people, who might have become a hindrance to the religious leaders’ purposes, were tucked up in their beds. We know, however, that the devil is most active in times of darkness. Ephesians 6:12, “For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places“. The “blazing torches” provided physical light so that the instruments of the devil’s purposes could find their way amongst the trees, but in Jerusalem the enemy’s darkness was working its way in the hearts of the religious leaders. They must have been rubbing their hands with glee, thinking that, at last, they had the opportunity to do away with the Man who challenged their sinful practices.

Is there any significance in these “blazing torches” today? With our modern technology, light is easily manufactured, and can quickly expose the dark corners in rooms and streets. But there is only one “blazing torch” that can expose the dark corners in people’s hearts. In Luke 11:35-36, Jesus said, “Make sure that the light you think you have is not actually darkness. If you are filled with light, with no dark corners, then your whole life will be radiant, as though a floodlight were filling you with light“. There is only one source of light that really matters and that is Jesus. 

Dear Heavenly Father. You want us to be “blazing torches”, witnesses, for You in this wayward and war-soaked world. Please lead us and guide with the Master’s torch, that illuminates our hearts. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Children of the Light

Posted on by korgrocker

“Jesus replied, “My light will shine for you just a little longer. Walk in the light while you can, so the darkness will not overtake you. Those who walk in the darkness cannot see where they are going. Put your trust in the light while there is still time; then you will become children of the light.” After saying these things, Jesus went away and was hidden from them.”
John 12:35-36 NLT

Light and darkness, good and evil, blessings and curses. A black and white world in which no grey middle ground exists. People think that if they live a “good” life then all will be well. Those who acknowledge that they are living a “bad” life accept their ultimate fate. But then there are those who reject such semantics about life and live in what they think is a grey world driven by secular beliefs and attitudes, bolstered by politicians who have no moral compass, all drifters in a sea that, because it is not illuminated by the Light, is effectively in darkness. They just don’t realise that if they are not light inhabitants, then they, by default, live in the dark. 

But whether or not people live in darkness or light, they are all made in God’s image. Genesis 1:26a, “Then God said, “Let us make human beings in our image, to be like us. …” So every human being is wired with light already built in, just waiting to connect with the Source of light, their Creator. A light bulb is ready to illuminate its surroundings, but until it is connected to a source of power, it remains dark and useless. God graciously allows people to make choices about the world in which they live but there will come the day when they find out that they are in a place of darkness. Those that choose the light end up in God’s presence.

There are those who do some amazing good works during their lives, works obviously illuminated by the light within them, but they are still heading for a dark eternity. Surely God will have mercy on such people when they stand before Him to account for their lives, is a common thought propagated by people of the dark. But as Paul wrote in Romans 3:23, “For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard“. Even the most amazing good deed will still fall short of the righteousness that God requires. It is not deeds that God requires, but a repentant heart that believes in Him. But I have a suspicion that God, as He did with the penitent thief, will still draw to Him those breathing their last, allowing a choice to be made when those around them think that it is too late.

Jesus said to the people in the crowd around Him in those Passover days that they were in a privileged position, with the Light of the world living with them. He would soon be executed following trumped up and baseless charges administered by an illegal court, but for all those in His company, time stood still while His words hung in the air. “Put your trust in the light while there is still time; then you will become children of the light”. And even today those words, through God’s grace, are still with us, words of life and hope in a dark, sad and hopeless world. 

The amazing thing about God’s grace is that it never changes or is diminished as long as a human being is breathing. A hardened criminal, being executed following a life of crime, hung on a cross next to Jesus, and received forgiveness as he put his trust in the light. The other criminal chose darkness in a whirl of curses and anger. One found himself in Heaven, the other in hell. Light and darkness, good and bad, blessings and curses, Heaven and hell. Choices that can be made in this life for eternity in the life thereafter. 

Dear Father God. We are so grateful for Your grace and mercy. Without it we would be heading for the punishment we deserve, the punishment that Jesus took on Himself in our place. Thank You. Amen.

Plain Talking

Posted on by korgrocker

“The people surrounded him and asked, “How long are you going to keep us in suspense? If you are the Messiah, tell us plainly.” Jesus replied, “I have already told you, and you don’t believe me. The proof is the work I do in my Father’s name. But you don’t believe me because you are not my sheep. My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.”
John 10:24-27 NLT

Jesus interacted with the crowds around Him in those days in Jerusalem and He made a significant claim about Himself, that he was the promised Messiah. But is spite of all he had said, the people were unconvinced. They had heard Him say, “ … If God were your Father, you would love me, because I have come to you from God. I am not here on my own, but he sent me” (John 8:42). And then there was the time when He said, “ … I tell you the truth, before Abraham was even born, I Am!” (John 8:58). On His journey to Jerusalem from Galilee, Jesus spoke with a woman at Jacob’s well in Samaria, and Jesus’ statement about Himself couldn’t have been clearer. We read in John 4:25-26, “The woman said, “I know the Messiah is coming—the one who is called Christ. When he comes, he will explain everything to us.” Then Jesus told her, “I Am the Messiah!”” Jesus never wavered in telling people about His Person, His pedigree and His message. The problem for the people of His day was not that He wasn’t speaking plainly, it was because their expectations of who the Messiah would be didn’t fit in with His narrative. Also, most of the Jews of Jesus’ time were looking for a political and cultural saviour, not a Saviour from sin. They wanted Jesus to throw off the yoke of Rome and establish Zion as the capital of the world. They could not see how the meek and lowly Jesus could possibly do that. Even after His resurrection, the disciples were still expecting Jesus to bring about a political solution to Israel’s occupation and free it from a foreign power – Acts 1:6, “So when the apostles were with Jesus, they kept asking him, “Lord, has the time come for you to free Israel and restore our kingdom?”” Jesus’ reply was recorded by Luke just before he was taken up into the clouds, never again to walk this planet until he returned as the conquering King. Acts 1:7-8, “He replied, “The Father alone has the authority to set those dates and times, and they are not for you to know. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere—in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”” 

Jesus could never be accused of not speaking plainly about Himself. The problem was that the people weren’t listening. At the present time the UK’s political leaders and prospective election candidates are saying much about themselves and their policies. The speaking appears to be plain but in reality much will never be repeated or will be shrugged off as election rhetoric. Very few people actually believe that what is said will actually happen. Empty promises would sum up most of the election talk. Jesus was never like that. His manifesto was clear – believe in Me and You will inherit eternal life. John 3:16 again, “For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life”. We pilgrims also have a plain message. To those around us we repeat what Jesus said about Himself and in everything we say we point to Him as our Saviour, the One who took on the punishment we deserved for our sins so that we could inherit eternal life. Who is there in our circle of friends and family who we know needs to hear some plain talking about Jesus? They may protest about the message, but we see beyond the immediate claims that we don’t know what we are talking about, to the time when they too accept Jesus as their Lord and Saviour. Jesus persevered with His claims about Himself and about His message to His needy people, and even in His last day he still maintained that he was the Messiah, the Jewish King long awaited. In Mark 15:2 we read, “Pilate asked Jesus, “Are you the king of the Jews?” Jesus replied, “You have said it””. Pilate believed Him and added a name plate to the cross of Jesus’ crucifixion “And Pilate posted a sign on the cross that read, “Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews”” (John 19:19). Right to the end, Jesus was the Messiah. And the people of His day missed the coming of their Messiah and instead crucified Him. A tragedy for them, but an event that brought salvation for mankind, past, present and future. Jesus said, “ … I am the light of the world. If you follow me, you won’t have to walk in darkness, because you will have the light that leads to life.”” We have the light, folks; let’s turn up the wick and brighten our world.

Dear Lord Jesus. We echo the words of the Bethel song, Gratitude – “All my words fall short, I got nothing new, How could I express, All my gratitude?” But at Your feet we can worship the King of all kings. Amen.

Hanukkah

Posted on by korgrocker

“It was now winter, and Jesus was in Jerusalem at the time of Hanukkah, the Festival of Dedication. He was in the Temple, walking through the section known as Solomon’s Colonnade. The people surrounded him and asked, “How long are you going to keep us in suspense? If you are the Messiah, tell us plainly.“”
John 10:22-24 NLT

Hanukkah, the Feast of Dedication or Feast of Lights, was the time when the Jews held an 8-day festival celebrating a historic Maccabean victory over the Syrian army, and a miraculous event that accompanied the cleansing of the Temple. There is much more about this period in Jewish history that has been recorded and documented, but we’ll look at the events surrounding Jesus as He walked through a part of the Temple “known as Solomon’s Colonnade”. This was a covered area in the Temple complex, and was much favoured later as a meeting point for the early Christians. Jesus being there at that time was perhaps a prophetic indication of His offer of salvation to all who believe in Him, compared with the events that had taken place some years before when the Maccabees had saved the Jews from a foreign and tyrannical power. The people were in the Temple celebrating the previous victory and turned to Jesus wondering if He was the Messiah who would bring another victory against another foreign and tyrannical power – the Romans.

The problem that the people failed to grasp was that Jesus was indeed the Messiah who had come to save His people, but not in the way they thought or hoped. Jesus had come to save them from the consequences of their sins. Luke recorded what Jesus said about His mission in Luke 19:10, “For the Son of Man came to seek and save those who are lost”. The people wanted a physical salvation, Jesus came to offer a spiritual salvation. The people had been lulled into a sense of false spiritual security by believing that they could be saved just by doing their best to implement the demands of the Law. So it wasn’t salvation for their souls that they wanted from their Messiah. 

In some parts of the world Hanukkah has become a secular holiday because it takes place quite near Christmas in November or December, depending on how the date on the Jewish calendar falls. But there is a spiritual significance in this festival, the Feast of Lights. The miracle that took place when the Maccabees cleansed the temple concerned a supply of a special oil needed for the Menorah, a multi-branded lamp stand. It miraculously lasted for 8 days while the victory celebrations continued and until another supply of oil could be found. The light within the Temple was happening again right in front of the people but they failed to make the connection. Jesus said in John 8:12, “ … I am the light of the world. If you follow me, you won’t have to walk in darkness, because you will have the light that leads to life.” The light that Jesus brought into the world was far more important and significant than the light supplied by a Menorah, no matter how miraculous the supply of oil was. The Menorah lit up a small dark area within the Temple, but Jesus’ light illuminates the lives of men and women throughout the globe, not just when the sun goes down, but all the time.

We pilgrims have been tasked with the responsibility of bringing the light of Jesus to a sad and dark world, riven and blackened by sin and evil. We ourselves have seen the Light, and have allowed it to infuse every facet of our beings as we go about our business as children of God, citizens of the Kingdom of Heaven. Jesus said in Matthew 5:14-16, “You are the light of the world—like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden. No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your Heavenly Father”. With that Light, and in obedience to Jesus, we illuminate every dark corner in our communities and families. Our “Hanukkah” takes place every day, as we celebrate the victory Jesus brought over sin and death.

Dear Lord Jesus. You are the Light of the World and always will be. Thank You. Amen.

Ointment of Mud

Posted on by korgrocker

““It was not because of his sins or his parents’ sins,” Jesus answered. “This happened so the power of God could be seen in him”. … Then he spat on the ground, made mud with the saliva, and spread the mud over the blind man’s eyes. He told him, “Go wash yourself in the pool of Siloam” (Siloam means “sent”). So the man went and washed and came back seeing!”
John 9:3, 6-7 NLT

Why did Jesus make mud with His saliva, using it as a salve or ointment for smearing on the blind man’s eyes, when He could have just healed him with a word? Or He could have laid His hands or fingers on the malfunctioning eyes. Why the mud? There have been a number of theories as to why Jesus healed the man this way. Jesus healed another blind man in Bethsaida, and we can read the account in Mark 8:23-25, “Jesus took the blind man by the hand and led him out of the village. Then, spitting on the man’s eyes, he laid his hands on him and asked, “Can you see anything now?” The man looked around. “Yes,” he said, “I see people, but I can’t see them very clearly. They look like trees walking around.” Then Jesus placed his hands on the man’s eyes again, and his eyes were opened. His sight was completely restored, and he could see everything clearly”. This was a two stage healing, starting with Jesus spitting in the man’s face followed by Him placing His hands on them. A theory promoted by some in those days was that saliva had healing properties, so perhaps Jesus was using it to help the blind man’s faith. But we don’t really know what was going on in Jesus’ healing ministry. No two healing events were the same so, try as we do to think one up, there is no formulaic recipe for copying Him. 

Vision difficulties today are common and the medical profession can often help by using optical corrections such as spectacles or contact lenses. Cataracts can be removed and replaced with an artificial lens. Degenerative or age-related conditions can often be delayed with the skills of the doctors. But someone born blind is, unless there are exceptional circumstances, beyond healing by our medics. But nothing was too hard for Jesus – He had the ability to restore sight whenever the opportunity arose. And we should also take note that through the power of the Holy Spirit, blind people have been healed today. There are well documented accounts available for those who look for them. Also note that healing a man blind from birth was more than introducing sight to his eyes. There is the infrastructure behind the eyes that processes the visual information to enable what is seen to be interpreted correctly. In healing the blind man, Jesus also reprogrammed the man’s brain.

There is a condition much worse than physical blindness and this is spiritual blindness. People with this condition are those who have rejected God and who deny the validity of anything spiritual, and particularly anything to do with God. We read what Paul wrote about the cause of spiritual blindness in 2 Corinthians 4:4, “Satan, who is the god of this world, has blinded the minds of those who don’t believe. They are unable to see the glorious light of the Good News. They don’t understand this message about the glory of Christ, who is the exact likeness of God”. Those who fail to respond to the invitation to the Good News about Jesus are committing themselves to a future spent in a place of total blackness, where any form of sight is no use at all. One day, any believer who is physically blind will receive a new pair of eyes, with perfect vision. And he or she will be able to gaze on the face of God in awe and worship. It will be an amazing experience for all of us. In Revelation 21:23 we read, “And the city has no need of sun or moon, for the glory of God illuminates the city, and the Lamb is its light“. Jesus proclaimed to His people that “….. I am the light of the world. If you follow me, you won’t have to walk in darkness, because you will have the light that leads to life” (John 8:12). Both sighted and unsighted people are in the same place before the Cross of Christ.

Dear God. You are a God of light and there is no darkness within You. We worship You today. Amen.

Jesus the Light

Posted on by korgrocker

“Jesus spoke to the people once more and said, “I am the light of the world. If you follow me, you won’t have to walk in darkness, because you will have the light that leads to life.””
John 8:12 NLT

In a spiritual sense, light refers to holiness, righteousness and purity, while darkness refers to sin, evil and wickedness. Jesus said that He is the ultimate Light, the Light that came into this world and imparted “the light that leads to life”. We know that in a physical sense light is necessary so that all the organisms of this world can survive. Plants cannot survive without light. Our human eyes are incredible organs that can detect light with amazing clarity and with all of its constituent colours. Right back in Genesis 1:3-5 we read the act of God’s creation on the first day, “Then God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. And God saw that the light was good. Then he separated the light from the darkness. God called the light “day” and the darkness “night.” And evening passed and morning came, marking the first day“. So physical light is fundamental to God’s creation. 

But spiritually, there is only one source of light and that is Jesus Himself. There is no other way to illuminate our spirits, though many attempt it with a variety of methods, all of which ultimately fail. We find Yoga classes, and mindfulness and so on, all of which make spiritual claims, but which all fall far short of the light that Jesus was referring to. Only by believing in Jesus will we find the light that illuminates our very souls. As we pilgrims journey through life we find our way illuminated by the Word of God. “Your word is a lamp to guide my feet and a light for my path” (Psalm 119:105). The words of illumination come from none other than Jesus Himself. John 1:1, “In the beginning the Word already existed. The Word was with God, and the Word was God”.

Jesus has delegated to His followers the responsibility of sharing His light with the world around us. Matthew 5:14-16, “You are the light of the world—like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden. No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father“.

It is a tremendous invitation from Jesus. If we believe in Him, we will never have to suffer the consequences of sin, and be beholden to the dark world in which we live.

Dear Lord Jesus. You are the Word that illuminates our ways through a dark and dismal world. Those around us may be stumbling through the darkness of sin but You promised to be our light that leads to life. Thanks Lord. Amen.

Light of the World

Posted on by korgrocker

“All right then, the Lord himself will give you the sign. Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son and will call him Immanuel (which means ‘God is with us’).”
“The people who walk in darkness will see a great light. For those who live in a land of deep darkness, a light will shine.”
“For a child is born to us, a son is given to us. The government will rest on his shoulders. And he will be called: Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. His government and its peace will never end. He will rule with fairness and justice from the throne of his ancestor David for all eternity. The passionate commitment of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies will make this happen!”
Isaiah‬ ‭7:14, 9‬:‭2‬, ‭6‬-‭7‬ ‭NLT‬‬

On this Christmas Day we continue to look at Isaiah’s prophecy. When the Son walked the highways and byways of Palestine, He found a people who were indeed living in a time of great darkness. There had not been a prophetic word for over four hundred years, and, worse, the land was occupied by a cruel army who severely suppressed the fiercely independent Jewish nation. But into this “deep darkness” came a “great light”. The Light of the World had arrived. Jesus said as much, in John 8:12, “Jesus spoke to the people once more and said, “I am the light of the world. If you follow me, you won’t have to walk in darkness, because you will have the light that leads to life””. He couldn’t have been clearer of His mission as He walked out the Isaiah prophecy amongst His people. 

Jesus, the Son of God, was faultless in implementing His mission. But, sadly, He was largely rejected by the very people who so desperately needed Him. We read in Luke 17:25, “But first the Son of Man must suffer terribly and be rejected by this generation“. His own people ended up calling for His execution as a criminal. But they weren’t to know that this was all part of God’s plan. If it wasn’t through God’s plan with the sacrifice of Jesus at Calvary, through His birth, death and resurrection, we would never have found a way to be with God, to experience eternal life. The Apostle Paul referred to this as the mystery of God, and he wrote in Ephesians 3:3-4, “As I briefly wrote earlier, God himself revealed his mysterious plan to me. As you read what I have written, you will understand my insight into this plan regarding Christ“. 

Jesus was and is God’s Light to the world. He is so desperately needed in our current generation, as He has been in all previous generations. But once again we have a generation of people who reject Him. However, we pilgrims have a golden opportunity, while there is still time, while God’s unlimited grace is still available, to tell the world around us about God’s mysterious plan. We tell the people in our families and communities about the Baby who came two thousand years ago, and who we celebrate in this season of Christmas. We tell everyone about the Baby’s journey into being an itinerant preacher, but with a difference – He was, and is, God’s Son. We tell everyone we can about His sinless life and death for our sins. And we tell everyone He is still alive today, present here on Planet Earth through His Spirit.

The Son of God, the Light of the World, can illuminate our lives, our world. If we let Him. There is no longer a mystery. God’s unlimited love and grace is available for all to access. This season of celebration, the Christmas period, can be full of misery, or it can be full of hope. The best gift this world has ever seen is in God’s hands, and if we look closely, He is holding it out to us. All we have to do is look up out of our circumstances and take it. And as we unwrap it, the Light of the World will burst into a glorious vista, bringing a shining light into our deep darkness.

Dear Father God. I pray today for all those in my family and community who don’t know You, that they too will look up and see Your wonderful gift there for the taking. Amen.

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