Our Walk

Monday, August 22, 2011, 6:38 a.m. – The song, “Walking with Jesus,” was playing in my mind when I awoke this morning. Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening. I read John 12 (quoting 20-36):

Now there were some Greeks among those who went up to worship at the Feast. 21 They came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, with a request. “Sir,” they said, “we would like to see Jesus.” 22 Philip went to tell Andrew; Andrew and Philip in turn told Jesus.

23 Jesus replied, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. 24 I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds. 25 The man who loves his life will lose it, while the man who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. 26 Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am, my servant also will be. My Father will honor the one who serves me.

27 “Now my heart is troubled, and what shall I say? ‘Father, save me from this hour’? No, it was for this very reason I came to this hour. 28 Father, glorify your name!”

Then a voice came from heaven, “I have glorified it, and will glorify it again.” 29 The crowd that was there and heard it said it had thundered; others said an angel had spoken to him.

30 Jesus said, “This voice was for your benefit, not mine. 31 Now is the time for judgment on this world; now the prince of this world will be driven out. 32 But I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to myself.” 33 He said this to show the kind of death he was going to die.

34 The crowd spoke up, “We have heard from the Law that the Christ will remain forever, so how can you say, ‘The Son of Man must be lifted up’? Who is this ‘Son of Man’?”

35 Then Jesus told them, “You are going to have the light just a little while longer. Walk while you have the light, before darkness overtakes you. The man who walks in the dark does not know where he is going. 36 Put your trust in the light while you have it, so that you may become sons of light.” When he had finished speaking, Jesus left and hid himself from them.

My Understanding: The song the Lord Jesus put in my mind this morning is a song about our walk with Jesus Christ on a daily basis, and how that walk should be lived out in our daily lives and experiences. So, as I was reading this passage of scripture, the word “walk,” jumped out at me, as I believe the Lord would have me to focus this morning on what it means to walk in the light vs. what it means to walk in the darkness, and how the two do not and should not mix with each other.

In the context of this passage of scripture, Jesus is talking about his death yet to come. We are living in the period of time post his death, burial and resurrection, so the passage must be interpreted, in order to be applied to us today, within the context in which it was written as well as in the context of where we are now in history. So, when Jesus was speaking about a kernel of wheat falling into the ground and dying so that it can produce many seeds, he was speaking about his own death and how he must die so that many could come to him through faith in him and could live. Yet, he was also speaking of how we, as his followers, must follow him in death and we must die to sin and to our old lives so that we can be fruit-bearing disciples of his in leading others to know Jesus Christ, too.

He continued with this theme of the necessity of dying when he said that the man who loves his life in this present world will lose it for eternity, yet the one who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. Then, he said that whoever serves him must follow him so that wherever he is, we are there also. What this means is that we cannot love the things of this world, the sinful pleasures the world has to offer, worldly wealth and possessions, fame, and/or our reputations, etc. These cannot be what we live for and die for. We must be willing to give it all to Jesus Christ and to surrender all to him. If we live our lives for gaining the things this world has to offer, including gaining the world’s approval of us, then we have missed the mark. This is not why we were created. We were created to love, honor and obey our Lord Jesus Christ and to do what he tells us in his word to do.

After Jesus talked about his death that was coming and how he must die, because that is why he came into the world - same applies to us in that we must die to sin and glorify God with our lives – then he talked about a time of judgment coming into the world and that the prince of this world (Satan) would be driven out. When Jesus died on the cross, he took upon himself the sins of the world and he paid the price for our sins. When he rose from the dead, he conquered Satan and sin so that we could be free, not only from the ultimate penalty of sin (eternal punishment in hell), but so we could be free from the control of sin over our lives. God judged sin on the cross and Jesus paid the penalty for that sin. Now, through faith in Jesus Christ via our own deaths to sin and via glorifying God by following Jesus Christ with our lives, we can be free from the power of sin over our lives.

Yet, there is a time of judgment that is going to come upon the earth, because of man’s sin, that was prophesied about in both the Old and New Testaments, and that is the judgment on the earth at the end of time in which there will be a period of time known as the time of tribulation to come on the earth, which will be followed by the final judgment on mankind in which some will face an eternity without God in hell while others will face eternity with God forever and will be forever with the Lord wherever he is. I believe that time is very near. During that time of tribulation evil will reign and Satan, the beast and the false prophet will be given authority to rule over all the earth and to kill the saints of God, yet he who endures in faith and perseverance to the end will be saved. True faith in Jesus endures. At the end of this time of tribulation, God will judge Satan, the false prophet and the beast and after Jesus’ 1000 year reign on the earth, Satan will meet his doom once and for all time.

Jesus went on to tell them how he, the light, would be with them only a little longer, because he was going to be taken from the earth via his death. On that basis, he encouraged them to walk in the light they had with them before darkness would overtake them. Yet, we know that Jesus was only dead three days and then he was resurrected and appeared to many of his followers, so he was with them again, and then he ascended to heaven and he sent his Holy Spirit to dwell within us, and so he has been with us in the person of his Holy Spirit, within those who are his true followers, ever since.

So, his comments about following the light while you have it go far beyond him speaking merely of a short period of time in which he was taken from them, but I believe he was also speaking of the time of tribulation to come upon the earth when evil will reign supreme and the light of the gospel will be suppressed. There will be saints of God on the earth during that time, so the Holy Spirit will still be present in the lives of his followers, yet when evil rules, darkness will reign on the earth and it will be much harder then to see the light and to follow the light, so that, I believe, is the reason he encouraged his followers to follow the light while they still had it, so that darkness would not overtake them when darkness rules the earth. That time is very near.

Jesus said for them to “walk” in the light. He also said that the man who “walks” in the dark does not know where he is going. And, then he encouraged his listeners to put their trust in the light so that they might become sons of light. So, he was speaking of himself as the light, and so we must walk in him. To walk means more than to physically put one foot in front of another and to walk in a particular direction. Our walk that Jesus is referring to is the way in which we conduct our lives. We must live our daily lives in such a way that our lives are in complete concert with who Jesus was when he walked the earth and who he is presently within us as our Lord and Savior – God the Son – the same yesterday, today and forever. We must live our lives pleasing to God in all ways and should do the things Jesus did and should speak as he spoke. We must live to please God, not to please ourselves. We must live with eternity’s values in view, not with worldly pleasures in view. We must forsake sin and the sinful pleasures of this world, and we must find out what pleases our Lord and allow his Holy Spirit within us to work in us and through us for his pleasure and will.

If we do not walk in the light, then we walk in darkness. Our eyes are blinded to the truth of the gospel, our hearts are deadened, so we cannot see with spiritual eyes and we cannot understand spiritual truths with our hearts, and we do not turn from sin (repent) so that God may heal us (see v. 40). Jesus came to give us light so that we should not walk in darkness. Those who hear his words and yet do not accept his words into their daily lives by how they walk, i.e. those who do not keep (obey) his words, will be judged and will be condemned at the last day. Yet those who walk in the light by accepting the Lord’s word into their lives and by obeying his truth will find eternal life with God forever. Make sure today that you are walking in the light God has given you so that you will not be overtaken by the darkness now and in the days to come when darkness reigns on the earth.

Walking with Jesus / An Original Work / May 4, 2011

When you walk with Jesus only,
And you spend your days with Him,
He becomes your dearest friend,
And your desire’s to be with Him.

Sitting with him at his table,
As He breaks the bread with you,
Oh, what sweet and blessed communion,
As He comes and sups with you.

Living for Him, oh, what glory,
Walking daily in His truth;
Leading others to adore Him
Is what He desires of you.

Song Lyrics @ Public Domain

Link to song

link to song on video

The Furnace

Sunday, August 21, 2011, 7:21 a.m. – The song, “God’s Great Commands,” was playing in my mind when I awoke this morning. I also woke from a dream.

THE DREAM: We were purchasing a new house, but we were about 3 weeks away from the closing, yet we had not yet scheduled the closing. My husband had already crossed the street to the new house, so now I needed to cross the road (north) to the new house, too. A man was standing to the west of me on some steps which I needed to go down in order to cross this street. Yet, before I crossed the street, I offered to give him our phone numbers so that he could call us, but he said we could call him, which I knew meant I would have to call him. Then, as I was crossing the street, there was a vehicle in the road that appeared to be blocking me from crossing, so I had to wait and see which direction the vehicle was going, and then I could cross. The vehicle went west.

My husband and I entered the new house. We were not sure that the electricity was on, but I saw a light behind a door (northeast of the entrance door), kind of like a pilot light to a furnace, and then I knew we had power. So, we turned on the lights.

The carpet in the house was dark red. I noticed, straight ahead, the kitchen with a kitchen table in a pentagon shape. The table was to the east of the main part of the kitchen. I knew that this kitchen table was where we would eat our main meals. Then, I walked northeast of this kitchen pentagon-shaped table. Up against the wall was a china cabinet. The cabinet had some kind of mini off-white decorative oriental-looking shade that dropped down in one section of shelves in the cabinet. The shade had a bottom section that had been folded up and back, but when I finished looking at (examining) it, the shade would no longer fold back up at the bottom, but it dropped down to full disclosure.

Then, I rounded the corner, going northwest, I believe, and there were even more tables and chairs, which were either in pentagon shapes or were round. I was amazed at the number of tables and chairs in this house. I said we could hold a SS party in here with all these tables and chairs. At the end of this row of tables and chairs was a two-seater table that was up against a north wall with a chair to the west and a chair to the east.

As I was standing there looking at all these tables and chairs in this house, the telephone rang. I picked up the phone and said, “Hello.” The owner of the house also answered the phone from a remote location. I listened as he talked with another man. I wondered if I should interrupt their conversation to let the owner know that we were in the house, and to ask him about setting a date for the closing on the house. I turned to my husband to ask for his input. Just then, I realized that the two men on the phone had ended their conversation and they had hung up the phone. I wondered how we could reach the owner. I thought about caller ID, but that would only take me to the man who had called the house. END

This is when I woke up. Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening. I read John 11: (key verses – vv. 25-26, 40):

... Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?”

“Yes, Lord,” she told him, “I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who was to come into the world.”

… Then Jesus said, “Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?”

My Understanding: I read several news articles, which I will reference at the end of this writing. There were three articles, in particular, which made immediate hits with this dream. The first article was an AP news article concerning the Libyan conflict. The second article was an AP article concerning the Syrian conflict and the call for Assad to step down from his seat of power. And, the third article was another AP article, this one concerning a visit supposedly by the leader of North Korea to Russia to visit with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev.

In the dream, I saw the kitchen table as where we would eat our “main” meals. The table was in a pentagon shape, which is usually a reference to NATO in my dreams. The table also sat higher up than most tables and had some kind of decorative edging around it. I noticed that the Libyan article mentioned a “main” stronghold of Libya’s leader and the article about Syria mentioned a “main” base for Syria’s leader. I believe the “main” stronghold and base in each of these countries is controlled by NATO, as well as NATO is in control in many of these nations that have supposedly had internal conflicts and uprisings, which I believe the Lord has shown me time and time again are really a cover-up by the N.W.O. for what the N.W.O. is doing in these nations in causing the uprisings in order to take over power in the nations of the world. So, when the terms “transfer of power” are mentioned, they are a transfer of power to the global government that is taking over the nations of the world.

So, when these news articles speak of “rebels,” “insurgents,” and “terrorists” in opposition to governmental powers in these nations, what really is happening is NATO going into these nations and killing innocents in order to take over the power structures in each independent nation in the world so that eventually we all fall under one rule of power in the world, i.e. the beast of Revelation. That is why the carpet in this house is dark red (blood), because the foundation of NATO is built upon the deaths of innocent people. So, the blood supposedly shed by Gadhafi and by Assad is really to be attributed to NATO in these uprisings. NATO is truly the “global pariah” that Assad is accused of being.

I believe I am representing the United States and/or Washington, yet I seem to have little power. I believe the man on the descending steps with me, to my west, is Assad, which would place me in Afghanistan, which is where NATO has headquarters in Kabul, which also houses the ISAF, i.e. the International Security Assistance Force, i.e. similar to Hitler’s S.S., which was responsible for a large percentage of crimes against humanity during WWII. I knew I would be making a call to him, only I didn’t make a call, someone else did and all I did was listen in on the call. The article says that the US and some of its allies (represented by my husband in the dream), made the call to Assad to ask him to give up power. My husband and I wanted the owner of the house, the one called, to set a date to close on the house, i.e. to transfer ownership, i.e. to transfer power. The article says that Obama made the call. It also referred to the call as a “global call,” i.e. the N.W.O. placed the call. The closing is supposed to be in three weeks – three weeks from today is 9/11/11.

I could not cross the street because there was a vehicle in the road and I needed to see which direction the vehicle took before I could cross the street. The article about Assad also mentioned US troops getting ready to leave by the end of the year from Iraq, which would mean they would be heading west. Perhaps there is a direct association, thus, between the troop withdrawal and taking ownership of this house (the N.W.O.). The article also mentioned Assad lifting Soviet-style economic restrictions, which I saw as this shade on the China cabinet which was partially lifted until I finished with it, and then it came all the way down. A cabinet is a group of senior officials appointed by the top leader of a government. China is a country which has a strong role in the N.W.O., so I believe this is referring in some way to the ruling body of the N.W.O. The Lord has often shown me the U.N. Security Council as the ruling body of the N.W.O., but that could be shifting.

In the article about the N. Korean leader visiting the Russian president, it said that N. Korea’s leader “crossed into Russia,” which made me think about how I crossed the street into this house that had NATO as its kitchen table (a kitchen is in machine; the inner workings of an organization), and the house was north, and Russia is north of Afghanistan. I believe I am still representing the U.S. The N. Korea leader supposedly toured a “hydroelectric” plant and there was talk about a gas pipeline from which natural gas from Russia would be fed to S. Korea via N. Korea. The house in my dream had a closet door right inside the front door and behind the door I could see coming from underneath the door a light that was like a pilot light to a gas furnace. A pilot is a term for a leader or someone who steers a ship or plane (someone behind the wheel). And, I knew when I saw this light from underneath the door that we had power so I could turn on the lights, and the power I believe this is talking about is political power. So, it appears that Russia is also a key player in the N.W.O. coming into power worldwide, yet I am not certain yet in what way.

So, the house we are purchasing is really the world. The closing date is supposed to be 9/11/11. It could be this is merely a reference to another 9/11 or to a state of world emergency when this takes place, yet the actual closing date had not yet been set. I am representing the U.S. It was now my time to cross over into the house, and it depended on a vehicle going west toward the US, though I cannot be absolutely certain what that vehicle represents. The table in the kitchen definitely represents NATO/ISAF (S.S.) and the red carpet is the blood of innocent people on which NATO sits in power. The other tables and chairs going west would represent countries across the globe, perhaps ending in Europe, which are now under the control of the New World Order (Global Government). I am not certain what the table for two leaders represents other than one chair was in the west and one in the east. I do know that this whole dream is about the N.W.O./NATO/ISAF/S.S. conquering the nations/governments of the world one at a time and the transfer of power in each case is a transfer of power to the global one world government (culminating in the beast of Revelation). And, we will soon be in a global state of emergency in which we will have no choice but to come under this global government for the “protection” of the nations of the world.

In the passage of scripture, Lazarus died, and everyone was mourning his death, yet Jesus had already planned to bring him back from the dead, which is what he did. Jesus told Martha, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?” She replied to Jesus, “Yes, Lord, I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who has come into the world.” When Jesus got ready to bring Lazarus back to life, Martha was concerned that if the Lord had the stone rolled away from the tomb that a bad smell would come forth, for he had been dead for four days. Jesus’ reply to her was, “Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?”

I believe our Lord is saying the same thing to us right now. I believe what he is showing me is the coming beast of Revelation which is in the process of conquering the entire world and will soon have control of all nations of the earth and will set up his earthly kingdom reign for a time, times and half a time, and that during the time of bloodshed that is to come upon the earth, many will die, yet if they die as true believers in Jesus Christ, they will be resurrected one day and they will live for eternity with God, so even though very difficult times on this earth await us, as was prophesied about in scripture many, many years ago, we must believe our Lord and we must believe that we have nothing to fear in death because if we know him as our Lord and Savior, only our earthly bodies will die, but we will live forever. I also believe a great revival is going to break out in the world when all this comes down and it becomes clear to us what is really happening, so that is yet another way in which we will see God’s glory revealed through all the tragedy that will take place.

God’s Great Commands / An Original Work / July 10, 2011

Loving God and loving others
Are the Lord God’s great commands.
On these rest all of the others;
Live by them and you’ll not fail.
Be a witness, share the gospel,
Be a light in this dark world.
Share the love of Jesus always
To a world who has not heard.

Serving others; be like Jesus;
Wash their feet and pray with them.
Be a healer; mend their hurts and
Show them how to turn from sin.
Be a living example of
How to live for Jesus Christ,
Walking with Him in His footsteps,
Leading others to new life.

Give to God and give to others
Of yourselves in ev’ry way.
Obey your Lord, do His bidding;
Bow your knees and humbly pray.
Pray for others to know Jesus.
Tell how they can be set free
Of their sins and live for Jesus;
Walk with Him eternally.

Song Lyrics @ Public Domain

https://sites.google.com/site/psalmshymnssongs/home/songs/god-s-great-commands

Libyan rebels push front line closer to Tripoli
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/M/ML_LIBYA?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2011-08-21-07-57-09

Syria hits point of no return amid broad isolation
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/M/ML_SYRIA_ASSADS_TRANSFORMATION?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2011-08-21-07-42-49

North Korean leader visits Russian power plant
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/E/EU_RUSSIA_NKOREA?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2011-08-21-07-29-42

Infiltrators

Saturday, August 20, 2011, 6:09 a.m. – The song, “Jesus, Lead Me,” was playing in my mind when I awoke this morning. Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening. I read John 10:1-30:

The Shepherd and His Flock
1 “I tell you the truth, the man who does not enter the sheep pen by the gate, but climbs in by some other way, is a thief and a robber. 2 The man who enters by the gate is the shepherd of his sheep. 3 The watchman opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. 4 When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice. 5 But they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will run away from him because they do not recognize a stranger’s voice.” 6 Jesus used this figure of speech, but they did not understand what he was telling them.

7 Therefore Jesus said again, “I tell you the truth, I am the gate for the sheep. 8 All who ever came before me were thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. 9 I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. He will come in and go out, and find pasture. 10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.

11 “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. 12 The hired hand is not the shepherd who owns the sheep. So when he sees the wolf coming, he abandons the sheep and runs away. Then the wolf attacks the flock and scatters it. 13 The man runs away because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep.

14 “I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me— 15 just as the Father knows me and I know the Father—and I lay down my life for the sheep. 16 I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd. 17 The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life—only to take it up again. 18 No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from my Father.”

…My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. 28 I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand. 29 My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand. 30 I and the Father are one.”

My Understanding: Jesus Christ is our good shepherd. He is the caretaker of God’s holy people, the church. Yet, God has also assigned human shepherds to watch over his flock. He has given them great responsibility to care for the Lord’s sheep until Jesus Christ returns to earth and sets up his kingdom reign of a thousand years here on the earth, and he becomes our only shepherd. There are also government shepherds, i.e. our government leaders whom God has placed in positions of leadership over nations. And he has, as well, given them great responsibility to care for the people of the earth.

The sheep pen represents the body of Christ, his church. The entrance gate into the pen is Jesus Christ, and we enter the pen (church) through genuine faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. Yet, there are human shepherds of the sheep who have not come through the gate, but who have climbed into the pen by some other way. They are thieves and robbers. Sadly there are many such “thieves and robbers” among church leadership today who have come into the fold by another way other than through genuine faith in Jesus Christ, so we must be discerning about who is really of God and who is a robber of the sheep. I believe these “thieves and robbers” can also include political figures who present themselves as Christians in order to capture the sheep (believers in Jesus) in their traps.

In contrast to those “thieves and robbers” who climb into the pen by another way is Jesus Christ, who is our true shepherd. The sheep who have come in through the gate listen to his voice and they follow him. The sheep who are listening to the good shepherd and who are following him will never follow a stranger, because they will not recognize a stranger’s voice. In fact, they will run away from strangers. I believe this calls for spiritual discernment. If we are truly listening to Jesus Christ and we are truly following him, we should recognize the voices of those shepherds who are strangers to the flock and those who have climbed into the pen by another way, and we should not follow them. And, in fact, we should run away from them.

Then, Jesus contrasted the difference between those shepherds who were “thieves and robbers,” and himself. He said that, not only was he the good shepherd of the sheep, but he was the gate to the sheep pen, i.e. Jesus Christ is the only way to the Father and to eternity in heaven with God. Whoever comes into the church through genuine faith in Jesus Christ will be saved. Though the thief comes to kill and to destroy, Jesus has come to give us life that is full to overflowing with his Spirit, his love, grace and power. Many leaders within our churches and within our government are “thieves and robbers” who have only come to destroy the church and our nation, not to help it, but oftentimes they will come to us as wolves in sheep’s clothing, which is why we need to pray for much discernment.

A hired hand is someone you pay to do work for you, but he or she does not usually live in your house and is not part of your family. Jesus referred to some of these human shepherds as “hired hands” who care nothing for the sheep. They are just doing a job. So, when they see a wolf coming, they abandon the sheep and run away. Then, the wolf attacks the flock and scatters it. And, again, this is true of many religious leaders as well as government leaders of the people. They are just a doing a job they were hired to do, and many of them truly care nothing for the people, though for a time they may give the pretense that they do. So, when the enemy infiltrates the church and/or our nation, these “hired hands” easily surrender to the enemy and allow them inside to attack the flock.

Yet, Jesus Christ loved us so much that he lay down his life for the sheep. He died on a cross for our sins so that we could go free from the ultimate penalty of sin (eternal punishment in hell) and free from the control of sin over our daily lives. Those of us who have put our faith in Jesus Christ are saved from sin, are free from the control of sin over our lives, and we are given the hope and promise of eternal life in heaven with God.

This is how we know we have truly come to believe in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. Jesus said that his sheep know his voice, they listen to him, and they follow him (obey him). For those who are truly listening (actively following) Jesus’ teachings and are obeying what he has taught us, we are given the hope of eternal life, we will never perish and no robber and thief can ever snatch us out of our Lord’s hand.

Jesus, Lead Me / An Original Work / July 22, 2011

Jesus, lead me all the way.
Be my hope and be my stay.
Gently lead me where I should go,
So Your Spirit, I want to know.
Open up my heart to You.
Fill me with Your love and truth.
Make my heart want to obey.
Be my Lord today. Gently lead alway.

Jesus, lover of my soul,
Cleanse my heart, and make me whole;
Be transformed in my heart today,
As I turn from my sin and pray.
Make Your will known to my heart.
May I not from You depart.
How I long to hear You now,
As I humbly bow. Jesus, hear me now.

Song Lyrics @ Public Domain

https://sites.google.com/site/psalmshymnssongs2/home/songs/jesus-lead-me

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YTIM16o9ldg

DREAM: Our youngest son (US military) told us he had leukemia, and he had until January to live. END

Leukemia – is “an often fatal cancer in which white blood cells displace normal blood, leading to infection, shortage of red blood cells anemia, bleeding, and other disorders.”

Cancer – “a malignant tumor or growth caused when cells multiply uncontrollably, destroying healthy tissue. The different forms are sarcomas, carcinomas, leukemia, and lymphomas.”

Cell – “politics - a small group of people who work together and are part of a larger organization, especially members of a political organization who work in secret.”

My Understanding: My son usually represents the US government and military in my dreams, so I believe the Lord is saying that our US government and/or military has “leukemia,” i.e. there are secretive political cells within our government body which are displacing the normal cells. These abnormal cells are multiplying within the body of government in the USA uncontrollably and will inevitably cause the death of the US government and/or military as an independent republic.

The Lord does not usually give me timetables. Since my son is symbolic of our government/military and “leukemia” is symbolic of secretive political cells which have infiltrated our government and are displacing the normal workings of our government body, are multiplying greatly, and will eventually kill our present form of government, it is possible that January is representative merely of a new beginning of a new government in the USA. Yet, it could be literal, too.

I believe the Lord gave me this dream in connection with this passage of scripture from John 10 because he was showing that these “leukemia” cells are these shepherds who have come inside the pen by another way, that they are hired hands, they care nothing for the sheep, and when the “wolf” shows up, they will abandon us and will allow the wolf to consume us.

The Testimony

Friday, August 19, 2011, 12:43 p.m. – The song, “Willing,” is playing in my mind. Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening. I read John 9:

Jesus Heals a Man Born Blind
1 As he went along, he saw a man blind from birth. 2 His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?”

3 “Neither this man nor his parents sinned,” said Jesus, “but this happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life. 4 As long as it is day, we must do the work of him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work. 5 While I am in the world, I am the light of the world.”

6 Having said this, he spit on the ground, made some mud with the saliva, and put it on the man’s eyes. 7 “Go,” he told him, “wash in the Pool of Siloam” (this word means Sent). So the man went and washed, and came home seeing.

8 His neighbors and those who had formerly seen him begging asked, “Isn’t this the same man who used to sit and beg?” 9 Some claimed that he was.

Others said, “No, he only looks like him.”

But he himself insisted, “I am the man.”

10 “How then were your eyes opened?” they demanded.

11 He replied, “The man they call Jesus made some mud and put it on my eyes. He told me to go to Siloam and wash. So I went and washed, and then I could see.”

…A second time they summoned the man who had been blind. “Give glory to God,” they said. “We know this man is a sinner.”

25 He replied, “Whether he is a sinner or not, I don’t know. One thing I do know. I was blind but now I see!”

26 Then they asked him, “What did he do to you? How did he open your eyes?”

27 He answered, “I have told you already and you did not listen. Why do you want to hear it again? Do you want to become his disciples, too?”

28 Then they hurled insults at him and said, “You are this fellow’s disciple! We are disciples of Moses! 29 We know that God spoke to Moses, but as for this fellow, we don’t even know where he comes from.”

30 The man answered, “Now that is remarkable! You don’t know where he comes from, yet he opened my eyes. 31 We know that God does not listen to sinners. He listens to the godly man who does his will. 32 Nobody has ever heard of opening the eyes of a man born blind. 33 If this man were not from God, he could do nothing.”

34 To this they replied, “You were steeped in sin at birth; how dare you lecture us!” And they threw him out.

My Understanding: As he went along, Jesus saw a man blind from birth. His disciples asked Jesus who had sinned, that this man was born blind. Jesus assured them that the man’s blindness was not a result of anyone’s sin, but that this had happened to him so that “the work of God might be displayed in his life.”

God’s Sovereignty

I believe this goes to the issue of the sovereignty of God in our lives. One of my favorite passages of scripture is found in Psalm 139 where it says that God “created my inmost being;” he “knit me together in my mother’s womb; his works are wonderful;” and “all the days ordained for me were written in his book before one of them came to be.” It was no accident that this man just happened to be born blind or that Jesus might just have happened to see him as he was traveling along. God allowed this man to be born blind so that when Jesus healed him, God could display his work in his life.

Some people may have a difficult time accepting this, but I believe with all my heart that God is completely sovereign over all things, that he created each one of us, and he placed each of us in the homes and families which he had for us, even knowing the suffering we might have to go through and the life experiences we would encounter. If God is all powerful and all knowing, and he is love and is full of compassion, kindness and mercy, and if we are born handicapped or are born into a family with abusive or neglectful parents, then we must reach the conclusion that either God is limited in power and sovereignty and thus could not have prevented our circumstances, or else he is all powerful and all knowing and he willingly chose to have us be born as we are and in the families from which we came.

I believe Jesus was saying here that the man was not born blind due to someone’s sin, but rather he was born blind by God’s providence in his life, for God’s purposes, so that God could display his work of healing, mercy and grace in the man’s life. If the man had been born with physical sight, he may have remained spiritually blind and may not have been receptive to the gospel of Jesus Christ at all. God knows our hearts because he made each one of us, and he knows what it will take for each one of us, too, to be receptive to his words and to coming to faith in Jesus Christ. Yet, not only was this for this man’s benefit, but the change in his life has been for the benefit of everyone who has heard his story of healing for the past 2,000 years. So, we should never ever question God’s sovereignty!

Jesus spit on the ground, made mud with his saliva (kind of gross, huh?), and then he put it on the man’s eyes and told him to go wash in a specific pool, the name of which meant “Sent.” So, the man did what Jesus said to do and he came home seeing. Awesome! This is such a wonderful picture of salvation. I picture the mud on the man’s eyes as representing our sins which blind us and keep us from seeing through spiritual eyes. The washing in the pool represents Jesus cleansing of our hearts in removing the guilt of our sins from our lives. And, when the man did what Jesus told him to do (obedience), the man came home seeing. And, if we are to come to faith in Jesus Christ, we must also allow him to cleanse us from our sins so that we can receive our spiritual sight and can come home seeing, too!

The Testimony

The people who had known the man prior to his healing asked him how his eyes were opened. He told them that the man they call Jesus put mud on his eyes, told him to go wash, and then he could see. I love it! What a wonderful testimony, and so simple! The people wanted to know where Jesus was but the man did not know. Then the people took the man to the Pharisees.

The day on which Jesus healed the man was the Sabbath. The Pharisees did not like it when Jesus healed people on the Sabbath, because they thought he was breaking the Sabbath. So, they began to question the man, and the man told them the same thing he had told the people who knew him. The Pharisees did not believe Jesus was from God for he healed on the Sabbath. They were so concerned with keeping the letter of their laws that they failed to follow the spirit of the law and God’s great commandment of loving our neighbors as ourselves. So, they asked the man what he thought about Jesus. He replied, “He is a prophet.”

The Jews would not accept the man’s testimony that Jesus had healed him of blindness and that he had been blind since birth, so they inquired of the man’s parents. The man’s parents were afraid of the Jews and what they could do to them, so they deferred the questions back to the son, except for affirming that he was their son and that he was born blind. So, the Pharisees questioned the man again, and they tried to trick him into saying that Jesus was a sinner, i.e. one who lives a sinful lifestyle. The man stood to his testimony, though, and stated clearly that he had no knowledge of whether or not Jesus was a sinner, but one thing he knew: Once he was blind and now he could see! Awesome!! I love that testimony.

When people begin to question us about our beliefs and they try to trap us by trying to get us into some kind of theological argument for the purpose of tearing apart our testimony of faith in Jesus Christ, this man’s testimony sets a wonderful example for us in keeping our heads and in not giving way to their intimidations, but remaining firm in what we know.

So, they asked the man again. I am certain some of us would have gotten pretty frustrated with the Pharisees at this point. It was obvious they were just trying to intimidate the man into recanting his testimony. Yet, he turned the tables on them when he asked them if they wanted to become his disciples, too. Then they hurled insults at him, because they didn’t know how to answer his question.

People do that sometimes when they feel backed into a corner and don’t know how to respond, so they come out fighting. Yet, the man stood firm and refused to be intimidated by them. This antagonism, directed toward the man, seemed to encourage the man to take even a stronger stance than he had before. To him, if Jesus was able to heal him of his blindness, then he must not be a man who lives a sinful lifestyle, because God does not listen to those who regard sin in their hearts, but instead, God listens to the godly who do his will.

Then, the Pharisees shot back at the man with a cheap shot, because, again, they did not know how to respond. It amazes me how many times people respond with cheap shots when they feel that they are being confronted with their own sin, as though it will make them feel better about themselves if they can make someone else look bad. As well, the Pharisees reacted with much pride and arrogance. “How dare this man who had been a beggar try to tell them anything?” they thought. So, they threw the man out!

You know the really sad truth about this whole thing? This is still being done today in the church by pastors and teachers and elders who have what I call “God complexes,” to where they think they are in a position above other people and no one should suggest to them that they might be doing something they ought not to do, or that they might be teaching a falsehood, especially if it is coming from someone they consider a nobody.

Yet, Jesus was not like those religious leaders and he is not like many of the religious leaders of today, either. Jesus heard that the man had been thrown out, and he went looking for him. And, he asked him if he believed in him, to which the man responded, “Lord, I believe,” and he worshiped Jesus.

I truly believe that those who have gone through such difficulties in life and who have been mistreated and rejected by those in authority or in spiritual authority over them, who are supposed to love and protect them, can have a much deeper appreciation for what Jesus has done for them in setting them free and in offering them his grace and mercy in the time of their need. And, that is perhaps why God allows us to go through times of suffering because, if responded to correctly, those times can be great tools in maturing us and in making us stronger in our faith and commitment to Jesus Christ.

Then, Jesus said, “For judgment I have come into this world, so that the blind will see and those who see will become blind.” Some Pharisees heard him say that and asked if they were blind, too. They must have felt that Jesus was inferring that in what he said. Yet, Jesus told them that if they were blind, they would not be guilty of sin, but now that they claimed they could see, their guilt remained. Wow! Jesus was basically saying to them that if they had acknowledged their blindness, then they could have been set free from their sin, but because they claimed to have spiritual sight, when they did not, their guilt remained.

Conclusion

God/Jesus is the creator of mankind. He knit us together in the wombs of our mothers. All the days ordained for us were written in his book. In other words, God is sovereign, i.e. he is the supreme ruler and authority over all things and people on the earth. Nothing that exists in all of creation has come into being without his knowledge, will and power at work in bringing it to life and existence. His divine will and purpose is in all that he has created. So, none of us are accidents or mistakes or overlooked or are here where we are because God was somehow asleep or neglectful. If he placed us in the wombs of our mothers and he knit us together in those wombs, then his divine power and will were very much involved in who we were when we were born, including what families we were born into.

God/Jesus allows the circumstances of our lives, though he never tempts us or leads us into sin, in order to mold us and to shape us into the people he wants us to become. We can choose to either be moldable and to become the people he had destined for us to be, or we can resist his will and purpose for our lives. The man who had been born blind decided to accept what Jesus had for him. He allowed him to put a combination of human saliva and mud on his eyes, and he did what Jesus told him to do when Jesus gave him instructions, and because he was willing and because he obeyed, he came home seeing more than just with physical eyes, but his spiritual eyes were opened, too.

In contrast to this man’s response to Jesus was the response of the religious leaders and some of the Jews of Jesus’ day. They were proud and arrogant and they were all caught up in following a set of man-made rules that they thought made them more religious than other people, but it didn’t, because the rules they followed had nothing to do with a change of the heart. It was all for show for people to see. And, because Jesus was genuine, truthful and was the “real deal,” they were jealous of him and threatened by him, and they were insulted by him, as well, because he exposed their hypocrisy. So, their response was to reject him, accuse him falsely and to try to discredit him.

We all have a choice in this life in how we choose to respond to the circumstances of our lives and to Jesus Christ. The man born blind made the right decision, and he came home seeing. Some of the Pharisees and some of the Jews made the wrong decision and they remained in their blindness and the guilt of their sin was ever present with them. What path will you choose today? Are you willing to obey and to know God’s love, power and forgiveness in your life? If you have not yet made that decision, I pray you will make it today while you still have today.

Willing / An Original Work / August 17, 2011

I am willing to obey You;
Have Your Spirit live within me;
Know Your power; be Your witness
To a world who needs You greatly.

Love within me spread to all men,
So that they might come to know Him;
Know His power; His forgiveness;
Be transformed into His likeness.

Holy Spirit, come in power,
Change our hearts within this hour.
May we be like Jesus always;
Be a light that shines in darkness.

Song Lyrics @ Public Domain

Link to song

What is True?

Friday, August 19, 2011, 7:51 a.m. – The song, “His Loving Arms,” was playing in my mind when I awoke. Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening. I read John 8:31-47:

To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. 32 Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

33 They answered him, “We are Abraham’s descendants and have never been slaves of anyone. How can you say that we shall be set free?”

34 Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, everyone who sins is a slave to sin. 35 Now a slave has no permanent place in the family, but a son belongs to it forever. 36 So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed. 37 I know you are Abraham’s descendants. Yet you are ready to kill me, because you have no room for my word. 38 I am telling you what I have seen in the Father’s presence, and you do what you have heard from your father.”

39 “Abraham is our father,” they answered.

“If you were Abraham’s children,” said Jesus, “then you would do the things Abraham did. 40 As it is, you are determined to kill me, a man who has told you the truth that I heard from God. Abraham did not do such things. 41 You are doing the things your own father does.”

“We are not illegitimate children,” they protested. “The only Father we have is God himself.”

The Children of the Devil
42 Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love me, for I came from God and now am here. I have not come on my own; but he sent me. 43 Why is my language not clear to you? Because you are unable to hear what I say. 44 You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desire. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies. 45 Yet because I tell the truth, you do not believe me! 46 Can any of you prove me guilty of sin? If I am telling the truth, why don’t you believe me? 47 He who belongs to God hears what God says. The reason you do not hear is that you do not belong to God.”

My Understanding: I find it interesting that the word “believe” is used here, because the passage makes it quite clear that the people with whom Jesus was speaking were not true believers in him. I know that it is recorded in the book of James that even the demons believe that there is one God, and they shudder (James 2:19). So, the word “believe” appears to have more than one meaning. So, I looked the word up in the dictionary.

To believe something or someone could mean merely “to be of the opinion that something exists or is a reality; and/or to be of the opinion that something is right or beneficial” (Encarta). Or, it can mean to accept something or someone as true and/or to put your trust and confidence in, have reliance upon, be certain of and have faith in someone or something. One appears to be more of an intellectual assent to something, or based in an emotional feeling or decision, and the other seems to be centered more in the heart.

It appears then, from this context, that the Jews who believed Jesus, with whom he was speaking, had more of the intellectual belief, but not the heart belief that involved placing their complete trust and confidence in, certainty of, and reliance upon Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord of their lives. And, there are many people today who claim belief in Jesus whose belief in him has never moved from opinion that something exists as a reality and is beneficial, to heart-felt belief that places one’s life in Jesus Christ’s loving arms, and makes a conscious decision of the will to follow him wherever he leads them in all things. Jesus, in this discourse with the Jews who had believed his message, makes the distinction very clear and explains to us today, as well, what it means to truly believe in him.

IF

Jesus’ first word was “if.” The word “if” means “doubt; uncertainty; unknown; question mark; stipulation; condition; qualification; and/or provision.” In other words, when the word “if” is spoken in a passage of scripture, we need to look carefully at what is being said, because the reason it is there is to let us, the readers, or the listeners know that a conditional situation exists, i.e. a requirement or prerequisite, stipulation or uncertainty exists within the statement. Jesus’ stipulation was that to truly be his disciples a person had to hold to his teaching. To hold to something means to embrace, keep, own and maintain and/or to incorporate something into one’s life. Jesus’ teachings, themselves, let his listeners know, time and time again, the cost of being one of his disciples.

Many people today want to say that salvation is not conditional, i.e. that it is provided freely for all who “believe” without any cost to us at all because Jesus paid the price so we could go free and it is a free gift. There is a lot of truth in that, but it has some holes, too. While it is true that we can do nothing within ourselves to earn our own salvation, that Jesus paid the penalty for our sin so that we could go free, and it is a free gift, i.e. we don’t earn it, still it is not without cost to us. Jesus said that if anyone was to come after him, he must deny himself, take up his cross daily and follow him. Throughout the New Testament we are taught that repentance (turning from our sin) and obedience to our Lord’s commands are necessary for salvation. And, the word “if” is frequently used throughout the New Testament with regard to teachings on salvation.

Jesus told his listeners that “if” they held to his teaching, not only would they be his disciples, but they would know the truth and the truth would set them free. Again, as in times previous, Jesus’ listeners took him literally instead of figuratively, or I should say that they were thinking more in a physical realm rather than in a spiritual context. They said they had never been slaves to anyone, so how could Jesus say that they would be set free. Yet, Jesus was not speaking of physical bondage to men. He was speaking of spiritual bondage to sin.

Active Tense

Then, Jesus said something that can be a little confusing because our English language does not have as many verb tenses as the Greek language and thus verbs are not always translated in their proper tense. Jesus said, “Everyone who sins is a slave to sin.” Ok, we know from reading the New Testament that when we come to know Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior via faith (repentance, submission and obedience), that we are freed from bondage to (the control of) sin over our lives and we thus become slaves to righteousness. Yet, we also know that scripture allows for the fact that, even as believers in Jesus, we will sin, but that when we do sin we should confess our sins and thus be restored to fellowship with our Lord. If we have sinned against someone else, we should go to him or her and work to make it right with them. So, even true believers in Jesus will sin from time to time.

So, what does this statement of Jesus mean? In the Greek language, there is a verb tense that indicates something is actively going on and is continual. The word used here for “sins”, as translated into English, literally means “Everyone who is committing sin is a servant of the sin” (Young’s Literal Translation of the Bible). So, when Jesus said “everyone who sins,” he was really saying, “everyone who is actively and continually sinning” is a slave to sin.

Jesus was speaking of those who had not yet been set free from their sins and who were still enslaved to them. Sadly enough, many professing Christians are still enslaved to sin and have never truly been set free because they never came to the cross and died to their own selves, and took up their cross and followed Jesus with their lives. And, partly, at least, this is the fault of those who preach a watered-down gospel message that teaches them that they don’t have to repent of their sins, they don’t have to obey God’s commands, that they can still have the free gift of salvation, and that Jesus is pleased with them no matter what they do. So, they get the idea that salvation does not require anything of us and it does not cost us anything to be followers of Jesus Christ, and so they think they can “believe” and have their ticket into heaven without heart-change and life-style change.

Yet, Jesus made it clear here that if we are slaves to sin, i.e. if we are continually and actively sinning without repentance and without regard for obedience to God’s commands, perhaps because we think we have our salvation secured and repentance is not necessary, that we have no permanent place in God’s family. Ouch! Jesus went on to state that if the Son sets us free, we should be free indeed. The apostle Paul often hit upon this theme of Jesus setting us free from sin and of how, when we come to faith in Jesus Christ, we die to our sins so that we no longer are controlled by its lusts and desires but, instead, as those set free by the power of God, we are being led by the Holy Spirit of God.

Whose Child Are You?

The Jews were claiming a relationship with God via being physical descendants of Abraham. Many passages of scripture in the New Testament refute this idea that being a physical descendant of Abraham somehow qualifies you to be in God’s family. The scriptures teach clearly that it is not circumcision of the physical flesh or acts of righteousness or good deeds that qualify us to be in God’s family. Rather, it is circumcision of the heart, i.e. the cutting away of our fleshly and sinful nature and its desires, and it is a heart transformation via the Holy Spirit of God that qualifies us to be children of God.

Jesus acknowledged that the Jews with whom he spoke were indeed Abraham’s physical descendants. And, we, too, can be “Christian” by physical heritage and by growing up in the church, and yet never truly possess a personal relationship with Jesus Christ nor truly be saved. Jesus said that even though they were Abraham’s physical descendants, they were ready to kill Jesus, because they had no room for his word. And, many “believers” in Jesus Christ are right there with these Jews in that they kill the works of Jesus and his truth from coming into their own lives and out through the lives of those who are truly following Jesus, because they truly have no room in their hearts for God’s word, or at least no room for the parts they don’t want to hear. And, so they “kill” Jesus, too, by suppressing his truth.

Jesus took it a step further when he told them that their father was not Abraham, for if he was truly their father, they would do the things that Abraham did. And, many such words are spoken in the New Testament regarding our relationship to God the Father and to Jesus Christ, God the Son, too. If we are truly God’s children, and we truly believe in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, then we should do the things that Jesus did. As well, Jesus told them that if God were truly their Father, that they would love him (Jesus), because he came from the Father, yet they were unable to understand Jesus’ words. Jesus said this was because their father was really the devil, and that they wanted to carry out the devil’s work and desires. BIG OUCH! Yet, what he said is so true! If we are not living to please God, and we are continually and actively living lives of sin, then we are serving the devil, not God.

Jesus said that those who belong to God hear what God says. Now, the people in Jesus’ hearing were physically hearing and listening to his words, and yet they did not understand or believe or act upon his words, which is what it means to truly “hear” what God says.

God is still speaking to each and every one of us today, and he is calling out to us to invite him into our lives in the sense of truly putting our faith and trust in him, in doing what he says, in being his true listeners, and in embracing and in incorporating his truths into our daily lives. He loves us so very much, which is why he died on the cross for our sins. He is asking us to love him, too, by making him our Lord and the desire of our lives, no longer living to please our fleshly desires, but committed to obeying Jesus’ teaching. If we have this kind of faith, then we will be granted eternal life with God and will have his daily blessings in our lives, as well.

His Loving Arms / An Original Work / May 31, 2011

When I’m with you, hear My call.
I died once, shed blood for all.
Hear Me calling you today.
I’ll wash all your sins away.

Don’t delay to let Me in.
I’ll purify, cleanse within.
I’ll heal all your heartaches, too;
Wrap My loving arms ‘round you.

I love you, won’t you love Me?
I’ll give life eternally;
Wipe away tears from your eyes,
When I meet you in the skies.

Song Lyrics @ Public Domain

Link to song

The Light of Life

Thursday, August 18, 2011, 8:10 a.m. – The song, “Willing,” was playing in my mind when I awoke this morning. Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening. I read John 8:12-30:

When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

13 The Pharisees challenged him, “Here you are, appearing as your own witness; your testimony is not valid.”

14 Jesus answered, “Even if I testify on my own behalf, my testimony is valid, for I know where I came from and where I am going. But you have no idea where I come from or where I am going. 15 You judge by human standards; I pass judgment on no one. 16 But if I do judge, my decisions are right, because I am not alone. I stand with the Father, who sent me. 17 In your own Law it is written that the testimony of two men is valid. 18 I am one who testifies for myself; my other witness is the Father, who sent me.”

19 Then they asked him, “Where is your father?”

“You do not know me or my Father,” Jesus replied. “If you knew me, you would know my Father also.” 20 He spoke these words while teaching in the temple area near the place where the offerings were put. Yet no one seized him, because his time had not yet come.

21 Once more Jesus said to them, “I am going away, and you will look for me, and you will die in your sin. Where I go, you cannot come.”

22 This made the Jews ask, “Will he kill himself? Is that why he says, ‘Where I go, you cannot come’?”

23 But he continued, “You are from below; I am from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world. 24 I told you that you would die in your sins; if you do not believe that I am the one I claim to be, you will indeed die in your sins.”

25 “Who are you?” they asked.

“Just what I have been claiming all along,” Jesus replied. 26 “I have much to say in judgment of you. But he who sent me is reliable, and what I have heard from him I tell the world.”

27 They did not understand that he was telling them about his Father. 28 So Jesus said, “When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am the one I claim to be and that I do nothing on my own but speak just what the Father has taught me. 29 The one who sent me is with me; he has not left me alone, for I always do what pleases him.” 30 Even as he spoke, many put their faith in him.

My Understanding: Jesus said,

“I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

This verse is key to the whole rest of the passage, as well as it is key to the message that I believe the Lord Jesus would have me to receive and to share from this passage of scripture this morning. Since this song is about being willing to obey the Lord Jesus Christ in being his witness, in allowing his love within us to spread to all men so that they, too, might know Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, and so they may know his transforming power in their lives and his forgiveness for their sins, and since it is about the Holy Spirit’s power in our lives to change our hearts and to make us like Jesus in being a light that shines in the darkness, I knew this first verse was the key verse of this passage and of this message this morning.

This first verse packs a powerful punch! Jesus said that whoever follows him will never walk in darkness. This is what it means to follow Jesus. We cannot be his followers if we are still walking in darkness, i.e. if we are still willfully and consciously giving our lives over to sin, and/or we are conforming our lives to the pattern of the world instead of to the pattern and example set for us by Jesus Christ himself. Light and darkness don’t mix, and yet many Christians try to blend the two together when they live lives that are no different from the way the people of the world (outside of faith in Christ) live. In fact, sometimes the people outside of Christ live more moral lives than those who claim to be believers in Jesus. Ouch!

If we are true followers of Jesus Christ, then the light of Christ should be shining through our lives, i.e. our lives should reflect Christ - who he was and is and what he did and does, and should reflect his life and ministry as shared in the gospels in the Holy Bible, which is our example for how to be a follower of Christ, and how to live this life out in our daily lives. So, if we want to know what it means to reflect Christ and his light and love to the world, then all we have to do is to read the gospels and to see, in all practicality, how he lived, walked, obeyed, served and loved others while he was still on the face of this earth.

The Pharisees did not like Jesus because he told them the truth about themselves. He told them that they judged by human standards, but he did not judge in that way. He told them that they did not know him and they did not know his Father, i.e. he told them that they did not know God the Father whom they believed they were serving and obeying. He also told them that they were dying in their sins and that they were not going to heaven. He had the advantage of knowing their hearts, so he could tell them these things. Yet, he made it clear that those who do not believe in him - that he is the Christ, God the Son, creator of the world and Savior of mankind – will die in their sins, so we do have that knowledge.

Jesus, knowing their hearts, continued by telling them that they were from below (meaning of the world and/or of Satan), but he was from above (heaven). They were of the world, but he was not of the world. He also told them that they were going to lift him up on a cross and crucify him, though he did not use those exact words, and that when they crucified him, they would know that he was the one he claimed to be and that he did nothing on his own accord (he was not acting alone), but that he always did what pleased the Father, and he spoke only what the Father had taught him.

You have heard it said, “True friends don’t let their friends drink and drive.” Why? Because they love them enough to tell them the truth about their condition and of the possible consequences should they get behind the wheel of a motor vehicle while drunk.

Proverbs 27:6 says this: “Wounds from a friend can be trusted, but an enemy multiplies kisses.”

Jesus never used flattery to make people feel good about themselves. He never just gave people a pass and a pat on the back, and he never told them that they were ok and that they shouldn’t feel so bad about their sin. He was always loving and kind, except he spoke some pretty harsh words at times to the Pharisees and teachers of the law, but he always told the truth. He let people know that they were dying in their sins and that the only way to heaven is through faith in him, yet he often let them know what faith in him meant, too. That understanding takes me back to the first verse (v. 12) in which he let the people know that his followers do not walk in darkness, but they have the light of life within them. So, faith in Christ means turning from darkness (sin and worldliness) and coming into the light and walking in that light of the gospel of Jesus Christ in full obedience and surrender.

So, we now know, if we did not know before, that reflecting the light of Christ and his love means that we tell people the truth about their sinful condition and that they will face the judgment of God and eternity in hell if they do not put their faith and trust in Jesus Christ. Yet, it also means that we tell them about the hope, love, joy, peace and security that can be theirs through faith in Jesus Christ, via repentance and obedience to the Lord and to his commands. And, it means that we tell them the whole gospel, not a watered-down version of the gospel, and we tell them what it truly means to be a follower of Jesus Christ in leaving our lives of sin behind us and walking in the light that Jesus gives to us.

We also know from Jesus’ example to us here that being his follower and having him as our Lord and Savior means that we don’t walk in darkness and the ways of this world, but that we follow the light of the gospel in obedience to our Lord’s commands. And, being his follower means that we follow the Lord’s example in being his witnesses and allowing the light within us to shine in darkness to the world, exposing the deeds of darkness and bringing people into the light of God’s Holy Word. Following Jesus’ example, we also know that being his followers means that we do not judge by human standards, but that we only judge as Jesus judges, i.e. we only make judgments on matters of which the Word of God makes judgments concerning man’s sinful condition, his need of a Savior, and of the only way in which a person can be saved and can enter into God’s eternal kingdom.

Lastly, in understanding how to be a follower of Jesus Christ and to live by his example to us, we must not be of this world, but we must be born again from above. We should have our minds set on things above, not on things of the earth. We should have eternity’s values in view when we make decisions in this life. In following Jesus’ example to us, we should not live our lives or do the work of the ministry of our own accord and the will of man, but we should operate in the power and authority of the Word which dwells within us and in the power of the Spirit of God who lives and works within us in making us more and more like Jesus. We should not pontificate our own thoughts, wills and desires based upon our own intellect and reasoning or the thinking and views of men, but when we speak, we should speak what the Lord Jesus has taught us through his word and through his life. And, most of all, we should always have in mind to do what pleases God – Father, Son & Holy Spirit.

Willing / An Original Work / August 17, 2011

I am willing to obey You;
Have Your Spirit live within me;
Know Your power; be Your witness
To a world who needs You greatly.

Love within me spread to all men,
So that they might come to know Him;
Know His power; His forgiveness;
Be transformed into His likeness.

Holy Spirit, come in power,
Change our hearts within this hour.
May we be like Jesus always;
Be a light that shines in darkness.

Song Lyrics @ Public Domain

Link to Song

Willing

Willing / An Original Work / August 17, 2011

I am willing to obey You;
Have Your Spirit live within me;
Know Your power; be Your witness
To a world who needs You greatly.

Love within me spread to all men,
So that they might come to know Him;
Know His power; His forgiveness;
Be transformed into His likeness.

Holy Spirit, come in power,
Change our hearts within this hour.
May we be like Jesus always;
Be a light that shines in darkness.

Song Lyrics @ Public Domain

Link to Song