Good Morning Friends,
Sorting out false prophets is not as easy as one might think for false prophets are shrewd. Some basic wisdom is available to us. It has been said that early to bed and early to rise makes a person healthy, wealthy, and wise. And perhaps that is true for one who spends more time in the light. And that I think makes us happier. As I mature, I tend to live more in that way. Along this line of thinking today’s scripture seems to be saying that we should give up the darkness of our emotional baggage…to sin less and love more if we are to become the Christians that Jesus would have us to be. And one cannot really argue with that at all as we count the cost of engagement and determine the direction of our lives guided by the lamp of scripture. And as we evaluate how to jettison our dark garbage, we may just want to also ponder today’s question for it is related to how much baggage we have and how much darkness we can be protected against.Realistically though, the world is not always such a dark and light place. Good and bad are hard to discern. There is twilight and a dualistic view oversimplifies the experience of life. Still, we do hope to be more holy as we age and mature. So, we challenge ourselves with a question, Are We All In Disciples Of The Light?
Scripture: If prophets or those who divine by dreams appear among you and promise you omens or portents, and the omens or the portents declared by them take place, and they say, “Let us follow other gods” (whom you have not known) “and let us serve them,” you must not heed the words of those prophets or those who divine by dreams; for the Lord your God is testing you, to know whether you indeed love the Lord your God with all your heart and soul. The Lord your God you shall follow, him alone you shall fear, his commandments you shall keep, his voice you shall obey, him you shall serve, and to him you shall hold fast. But those prophets or those who divine by dreams shall be put to death for having spoken treason against the Lord your God—who brought you out of the land of Egypt and redeemed you from the house of slavery—to turn you from the way in which the Lord your God commanded you to walk. So you shall purge the evil from your midst. If anyone secretly entices you—even if it is your brother, your father’s son or your mother’s son, or your own son or daughter, or the wife you embrace, or your most intimate friend—saying, “Let us go worship other gods,” whom neither you nor your ancestors have known, any of the gods of the peoples that are around you, whether near you or far away from you, from one end of the earth to the other, you must not yield to or heed any such persons. Show them no pity or compassion and do not shield them. But you shall surely kill them; your own hand shall be first against them to execute them, and afterwards the hand of all the people.
Deuteronomy 13:1-9 (NRSV)
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 judgment 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.” He spoke these words while he was teaching in the treasury of the temple, but no one arrested him, because his hour had not yet come.
John 8:12-20 (NRSV)
Message: One of the great mysteries of the Christian life is that we are to be both player and spectator when it comes to our salvation. We are tested and see some things and are blind to others, so we must act in faith, trusting that Jesus is the only light that guides us on the true path toward life in abundance. Here in today’s text is Jesus saying, “I am the light of the world.” He has exposed the sin of the scribes and Pharisees, but they will have none of his light. But for us we must not reject the truth. The one thing we can do, must do, is to get in the game…the life of being a disciple and discipling others toward greater purity is not an option in ministry if we hope it to be effective. When you have that feeling that God is working on some aspect of your life, please join Him in the experience so that your salvation, your joy… no His Salvation and His joy would be reflected in you more fully, so you can be effective in this regard. The main job Jesus left us to do was to make disciples that shine forth love. You see, it is one thing to be a believer and another to be a disciple, married into a family of believers. The journey here extends beyond time and includes as its nexus the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. Discipling takes discipline. So today we consider the things that lighten our load for the journey with Jesus and help light the path in our own spiritual development and level of commitment. And it comes to my mind that when Jesus walked the earth it was not particularly safe to walk around at night but that it might just be a bit safer if others knew you had given away all your possessions and if one had a lamp on loan to light one’s path realizing that ultimately there is judgement for which we need to prepare.
And So, praise, worship and mission in the Christian faith is a walk by faith not by sight or appearance. In time and especially in the last days, God will remove all false prophets and false words from people that he never sent to preach the gospel. Until then we are to cling to Jesus and see what we can, discerning the way of Jesus through our emotions, intellect and will, conformed to Christ. The Jews judged Christ and his gospel by outward appearances, and, because he appeared so poor, they thought it was impossible for Him to be the Light of the World. When Jesus says, “I am not alone, but I and the Father,” He is saying that He has the Father’s guidance to direct Him; as he was with the Father before the world was formed, so the Father was with him in the world helping to carry out His instructions. He said, “For I am not alone, but I and the Father that sent me. Thankfully Jesus says that he will not leave nor forsake us.
Pray we recognize our debt to Christ. Pray we be transformed in the light that focuses on a devotion to God that comes out of a heart lightened by love. Pray we become creatures of light that spark light and vision in others. Pray thereforethat our possessions do not possess us. Pray the weights of the world be removed from our dark life. Pray we have the proper knowledge and vision before we engage in a decision-making process. Pray we make wise decisions. Pray we see the possibilities. Pray we count the costs. Pray we be obedient to God in taking the steps necessary to grow into the Christians God would have us to be. Pray we realize that there are eternal consequences to the development of our souls. Pray we enjoy a full life of salvation and spiritual transformation that helps us to become creatures of the light. Pray we be people of love and light for we have been blessed to be.
Blessings,
John Lawson
Daily Devotionals 