brightness – Praying Pint

12.d. “but the LORD will be your everlasting light, and your God will be your glory.”

Zechariah 2:3 While the angel who was speaking to me was leaving, another angel came to meet him and said to him: “Run, tell that young man, ‘Jerusalem will be a city without walls because of the great number of people and animals in it. And I myself will be a wall of fire around it,’ declares the Lord, ‘and I will be its glory within.’

Psalms 46:7-11   The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress. Selah  Come, behold the works of the LORD, how he has brought desolations on the earth.  He makes wars cease to the end of the earth; he breaks the bow and shatters the spear; he burns the chariots with fire.  “Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!”  The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress.

Isaiah 60:18-19   Violence shall no more be heard in your land, devastation or destruction within your borders; you shall call your walls Salvation, and your gates Praise.  The sun shall be no more your light by day, nor for brightness shall the moon give you light; but the LORD will be your everlasting light, and your God will be your glory.

Revelation 21:23   And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and its lamp is the Lamb.

This world can give no peace and therefore can not take it away. Peace the world offers is tied to that which cannot satisfy the heart and soul. Searching for peace outside of God is like chasing the wind – (never caught – only a temporary sensory feeling – always changing direction). “Peace” that comes from God, “Peace” that passes all understanding, is comforting and encouraging to the soul. It strengthens us against the trials and troubles faced this side of eternity. It gives us the courage to face each day with hope, trust, faith, and reliance in our Heavenly Father.

Oh that we would choose to live in the presence of the Glory of God and find our strength each day in the fortress of His grace, mercy, and love found in and through Jesus Christ. Our days would be filled with the light of His glory and the things of this world would become less and less and He would become more and more.

11.f. “To open their eyes, so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God”

Micah 7:8 Rejoice not over me, O my enemy; when I fall, I shall rise; when I sit in darkness, the Lord will be a light to me. I will bear the indignation of the Lord because I have sinned against him, until he pleads my cause and executes judgment for me. He will bring me out to the light; I shall look upon his vindication. Then my enemy will see, and shame will cover her who said to me, “Where is the Lord your God?” My eyes will look upon her; now she will be trampled down like the mire of the streets.

Isaiah 60:19-20    The sun shall be no more your light by day, nor for brightness shall the moon give you light; but the LORD will be your everlasting light, and your God will be your glory.  Your sun shall no more go down, nor your moon withdraw itself; for the LORD will be your everlasting light, and your days of mourning shall be ended.

Psalms 97:11    Light is sown for the righteous, and joy for the upright in heart.

Psalms 112:4     Light dawns in the darkness for the upright; he is gracious, merciful, and righteous.

Psalms 27:1   The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?

Malachi 4:2   But for you who fear my name, the sun of righteousness shall rise with healing in its wings. You shall go out leaping like calves from the stall.

John 8:12    Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

Acts 26:18    to open their eyes, so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.’

Revelation 21:23    And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and its lamp is the Lamb.

Talk about faith and power through Jesus Christ – “when I fall, I shall rise, when I sit in darkness, the Lord will be a light to me”!! How many times have you been in darkness? Not the light associated with light and dark but darkness in your soul. I am sure you can relate to this type of darkness when your heartaches, your mind can’t seem to get out of the rut of some rejecting or negative thought, and no matter how hard your try the light of resolve for the darkness seems out of reach. Days seem to drag on and you hope tomorrow is better somehow. this is how it goes when we are looking from within our own self-reliance to overcome the darkness that is robbing light from our days. Maybe we could learn to trust Jesus Christ more. Maybe we could rely on Him more. Maybe we could call out to Him more. Maybe we could believe in Him more. Maybe we could claim His promises more. I am confident that if we did we too could say, “when I fall, I shall rise; when I sit in darkness, the Lord will be a light to me.”

9.x. “For we have made lies our refuge”

Amos 5:18 Woe to you who desire the day of the Lord! Why would you have the day of the Lord? It is darkness, and not light, as if a man fled from a lion, and a bear met him, or went into the house and leaned his hand against the wall, and a serpent bit him. Is not the day of the Lord darkness, and not light, and gloom with no brightness in it?

Isaiah 28:15-22 Because you have said, “We have made a covenant with death, and with Sheol we have an agreement, when the overwhelming whip passes through it will not come to us, for we have made lies our refuge, and in falsehood we have taken shelter”;

Malachi 4:1 “For behold, the day is coming, burning like an oven, when all the arrogant and all evildoers will be stubble. The day that is coming shall set them ablaze, says the LORD of hosts, so that it will leave them neither root nor branch.

There is a time for all men to be aware of the Day of the Lord. A dark time will come and expose all the lies we have made into a false sense of refuge. Prosperity and ease of life seem to draw us away into these lies and further away from God. What will it take for us to recognize the absolute need to honor and glorify God in all that we think, say and do? How many days go by where our desire to satisfy self is put in higher regard than honoring and glorifying God? Far too many, I think. We get sucked into the vortex of the busyness of life and before we know it God is but a distant thought. We do have time now. Time to set aside self and to start learning what it means to humbly serve and honor and glorify God. We have time right now to intentionally choose to set aside time for growing and seeking God in new and mature ways. We have time to reflect on both sin and forgiveness, weakness and power, fear and courage, and eternity. We have time to spend in His Word. Turn back to Him and determine to stay close. Determine to listen for His Spirit to guide you. And above all give honor and glory to Him. He is worthy of all honor, glory, and praise.

Not only in this age but also in the one to come

Psalms 113:7 He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the needy from the ash heap,

Psalms 22:15 my strength is dried up like a potsherd, and my tongue sticks to my jaws; you lay me in the dust of death.

Psalms 69:3 I am weary with my crying out; my throat is parched. My eyes grow dim with waiting for my God

Psalms 32:3-4 For when I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long. For day and night your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was dried up as by the heat of summer.

Proverbs 17:22 A joyful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.

Isaiah 26:19 Your dead shall live; their bodies shall rise. You who dwell in the dust, awake and sing for joy! For your dew is a dew of light, and the earth will give birth to the dead.

Daniel 12:2-3 And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt. And those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the sky above; and those who turn many to righteousness, like the stars forever and ever.

Ephesians 1:20-21 that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come.

There are two points that are absolute. 1. The dead shall rise and awake 2. some to everlasting life and/or everlasting shame. Christ died for the sins of very single person and yet there is a forgiveness to some and not to others.

John 3:16 📝 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed. But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God.”

Those who cling to, trust in, rely on Jesus Christ will show humble service, a heart deep deep desire to honor, follow and obey Him. At the time of awakening from death these will sing for joy and everlasting life. Others will awake to shame and everlasting destruction and torment. They have chosen to reject the gift of salvation, forgiveness, redemption, grace, mercy and love through Christ. They choose to life for self, never yielding to the call from God to repent.

Light of the world

“The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world.”

“ As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.”

“I have come into the world as light, so that whoever believes in me may not remain in darkness.”

“for at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light”

Psalms 107:10 Some sat in darkness and in the shadow of death, prisoners in affliction and in irons, for they had rebelled against the words of God, and spurned the counsel of the Most High. So he bowed their hearts down with hard labor; they fell down, with none to help. Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distress. He brought them out of darkness and the shadow of death, and burst their bonds apart. Let them thank the LORD for his steadfast love, for his wondrous works to the children of man! For he shatters the doors of bronze and cuts in two the bars of iron.

Luke 1:79 to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.”

Isaiah 42:7 to open the eyes that are blind, to bring out the prisoners from the dungeon, from the prison those who sit in darkness.

Isaiah 60:1-3 Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the LORD has risen upon you. For behold, darkness shall cover the earth, and thick darkness the peoples; but the LORD will arise upon you, and his glory will be seen upon you. And nations shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your rising.

Exodus 2:23-24 During those many days the king of Egypt died, and the people of Israel groaned because of their slavery and cried out for help. Their cry for rescue from slavery came up to God. And God heard their groaning, and God remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob.

Job 36:8-9 And if they are bound in chains and caught in the cords of affliction, then he declares to them their work and their transgressions, that they are behaving arrogantly.

Romans 6:20-21 For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. But what fruit were you getting at that time from the things of which you are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death.

Acts 26:18 to open their eyes, so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.’

1 Thessalonians 5:4-5 But you are not in darkness, brothers, for that day to surprise you like a thief. For you are all children of light, children of the day. We are not of the night or of the darkness.

I wonder if we get confused with what is light and what is darkness. For sure we know the physical difference between night and day, light and dark. However when it comes to sin darkness, do we see it? do we own it? do we understand it? do we know the author of darkness? When it comes to sin darkness, sometimes, it binds us in chains, blinds our eyes, and makes our senses unable to see or feel the love and light of Christ. We grope around trying to find a path forward. Sometimes we end up in darkness be cause we neglect the light. Other times we just plan fail to run to the light, choosing rather to remain in the darkness. What are we to do when we see someone in darkness? Show them the light. Encourage them with the light. Proclaim the light. And at other times allow the light of Christ flow through you. We all have found ourselves in darkness. Allow God to use you as a light to others and always pointing to Him alone.

Blessed Assurance

“He will swallow up death forever; and the Lord GOD will wipe away tears from all faces, and the reproach of his people he will take away from all the earth, for the LORD has spoken.”

John 11:23 Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.” Martha said to him, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day.” Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?” She said to him, “Yes, Lord; I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who is coming into the world.”

John 5:28 Do not marvel at this, for an hour is coming when all who are in the tombs will hear his voice and come out, those who have done good to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil to the resurrection of judgment.

Isaiah 26:19 Your dead shall live; their bodies shall rise. You who dwell in the dust, awake and sing for joy! For your dew is a dew of light, and the earth will give birth to the dead.

Psalms 17:15 As for me, I shall behold your face in righteousness; when I awake, I shall be satisfied with your likeness.

Ezekiel 37:1 The hand of the LORD was upon me, and he brought me out in the Spirit of the LORD and set me down in the middle of the valley; it was full of bones. And he led me around among them, and behold, there were very many on the surface of the valley, and behold, they were very dry. And he said to me, “Son of man, can these bones live?” And I answered, “O Lord GOD, you know.”

Daniel 12:2 And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt. And those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the sky above; and those who turn many to righteousness, like the stars forever and ever.

Hosea 13:14 I shall ransom them from the power of Sheol; I shall redeem them from Death.

Blessed assurance that death will not be our final state. Everlasting life awaits those who believe and trust in Jesus Christ. We get so got up in things this side of eternity we lose sight of that which is beyond what we see here. This life is but a vapor when compared to eternity. Yet is seems so long at times. When trials, issues, troubles come we have the assurance that the same person who will raise us from the dead is also able to wrap His loving arms around us and give comfort, refuge, hope, love, courage, and peace. Rejoice and praise Him for He is able to do more than we ask and much more than we can imagine. We are redeemed and will be alive forever with Him.

Planting and harvesting

“To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all people, that by all means I might save some. I do it all for the sake of the gospel, that I may share with them in its blessings.”

John 4:34 Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to accomplish his work. Do you not say, ‘There are yet four months, then comes the harvest’? Look, I tell you, lift up your eyes, and see that the fields are white for harvest. Already the one who reaps is receiving wages and gathering fruit for eternal life, so that sower and reaper may rejoice together. For here the saying holds true, ‘One sows and another reaps.’ I sent you to reap that for which you did not labor. Others have labored, and you have entered into their labor.”

Proverbs 11:30 The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, and whoever captures souls is wise.

Daniel 12:3 And those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the sky above; and those who turn many to righteousness, like the stars forever and ever.

Romans 6:22 But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the fruit you get leads to sanctification and its end, eternal life.

Philippians 2:15-16 that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, holding fast to the word of life, so that in the day of Christ I may be proud that I did not run in vain or labor in vain.

1 Timothy 4:16 Keep a close watch on yourself and on the teaching. Persist in this, for by so doing you will save both yourself and your hearers.

James 5:19 My brothers, if anyone among you wanders from the truth and someone brings him back, let him know that whoever brings back a sinner from his wandering will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins.

Sometimes we are the planters of the Gospel seed and other times we are the harvesters of all the work of someone else. Being in God’s fields has satisfying purpose and meaning. We are able to see seeds being planted and fruit being produced and as well harvest of the fruit. The point is we need to be in the same field with God – Working in His field rather than just watching His field from the side of the road. Be in His word, read it, think about it, believe it, speak of it, follow, and obey it. “Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth”

Fountain Opened

Zechariah 13:1 “On that day there shall be a fountain opened for the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, to cleanse them from sin and uncleanness.

Psalms 51:2 Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin!

Psalms 51:7 Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.

Isaiah 1:16 Wash yourselves; make yourselves clean; remove the evil of your deeds from before my eyes; cease to do evil, learn to do good; seek justice, correct oppression; bring justice to the fatherless, plead the widow’s cause. “Come now, let us reason together, says the LORD: though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool.

Ezekiel 36:25 I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean from all your uncleannesses, and from all your idols I will cleanse you.

John 1:29 The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!

1 Corinthians 6:11 And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.

Titus 3:5 he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.

1 John 1:7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.

Our hope is built on promises from God. The hope of forgiveness, complete cleansing from sin, salvation, and eternal life. This is offered to all and God, not wishing any to perish, gave the promise of eternal life to all who would believe in the complete cleansing through the redemptive sacrifice of Jesus Christ. Peter in light of the grace and mercy from God through Christ, and seeing that all of this world will pass away, asked a question “Since all these things are thus to be dissolved, what sort of people ought you to be in lives of holiness and godliness” How should our lives be lived out this side of eternity? Are we to be complacent and lukewarm in our commitment to this great act of Love? Being lukewarm and complacent manifests in a life that seldom speaks of Christ, lacks confidence in being cleansed, thinks about performing acts of goodness to overshadow the sin in their life, loses sight of promises of God, does not have contentment/peace, seldom sees God’s hand at work in their life, rarely hears the whispers of God, lacks confidence in God’s purpose and plan for their life. This all can hit home to anyone but the good thing is, if God is convicting your heart there is the promise “if we confess our sin He is faithful and just to forgive us” This means it is gone forever to never be remembered again. Believing and knowing without doubt is hard if the promises of God are not in your life. Satan is a liar and will speak lies into our lives. You’re not good enough, you’re to far gone, there is no hope for you, or on the other hand you are good enough, you are to busy, you are doing enough, compare yourself with others, blah, blah, blah. These struggles are common when our lives are more committed to this world, what it has to offer, and the cares surrounded by it. Know that your sin is forgiven by the work of Christ, repent from whatever it is that is holding you back from committing to humbly serving, honoring, following, and obeying Him. Make time to spend in His word with the purpose of knowing Him. Listen for His whispers of leading. Today is the day you can commit to Him and ask Him to open His word to your heart and mind.

Who can Endure

“How much worse punishment, do you think, will be deserved by the one who has trampled underfoot the Son of God, and has profaned the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has outraged the Spirit of grace?”

Malachi 3:2 But who can endure the day of his coming, and who can stand when he appears? For he is like a refiner’s fire and like fullers’ soap.

Zechariah 13:9 And I will put this third into the fire, and refine them as one refines silver, and test them as gold is tested. They will call upon my name, and I will answer them. I will say, ‘They are my people’; and they will say, ‘The LORD is my God.’”

Malachi 3:5 “Then I will draw near to you for judgment. I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers, against the adulterers, against those who swear falsely, against those who oppress the hired worker in his wages, the widow and the fatherless, against those who thrust aside the sojourner, and do not fear me, says the LORD of hosts.

Matthew 3:7 But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Bear fruit in keeping with repentance. And do not presume to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father,’ for I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children for Abraham. Even now the axe is laid to the root of the trees. Every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. “I baptize you with water for repentance, but he who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor and gather his wheat into the barn, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.”

Amos 5:18 Woe to you who desire the day of the LORD! Why would you have the day of the LORD? It is darkness, and not light, as if a man fled from a lion, and a bear met him, or went into the house and leaned his hand against the wall, and a serpent bit him. Is not the day of the LORD darkness, and not light, and gloom with no brightness in it?

We need to be very conscious of our commitment to God. Note the words of prophets who declared the coming of the Lord. When the Lord returns He comes with judgment. Everyone will face Him for what they have done in their life and for the commitment, desire, and purpose they have lived it. I wonder if we claim the love, mercy and grace of God but do not give thought to what it means to live in knowledge of this. If we have basic understanding of His holiness and our sinfulness we see this love, mercy and grace from God with thankfulness and a desire to live our life worthy of humbly serving, honoring, following and obeying Him. Any other response or demonstration from our life is lacking in service to God. Keep God first and subject all in life to understanding what it means to fully live for Him.

Walking Blameless

“Noah was a righteous man, blameless in his generation. Noah walked with God.”

“When Abram was ninety-nine years old the LORD appeared to Abram and said to him, “I am God Almighty; walk before me, and be blameless,”

“there was a priest named Zechariah, of the division of Abijah. And he had a wife from the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth. And they were both righteous before God, walking blamelessly in all the commandments and statutes of the Lord.”

“And those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the sky above; and those who turn many to righteousness, like the stars forever and ever.”

“ They shall teach my people the difference between the holy and the common,”

Malachi 2:7 True instruction was in his mouth, and no wrong was found on his lips. He walked with me in peace and uprightness, and he turned many from iniquity. For the lips of a priest should guard knowledge, and people should seek instruction from his mouth, for he is the messenger of the LORD of hosts. But you have turned aside from the way. You have caused many to stumble by your instruction. You have corrupted the covenant of Levi, says the LORD of hosts, and so I make you despised and abased before all the people, inasmuch as you do not keep my ways but show partiality in your instruction.”

Hosea 4:6 My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge; because you have rejected knowledge, I reject you from being a priest to me. And since you have forgotten the law of your God, I also will forget your children.

Jeremiah 23:22 But if they had stood in my council, then they would have proclaimed my words to my people, and they would have turned them from their evil way, and from the evil of their deeds.

Psalms 37:30 The mouth of the righteous utters wisdom, and his tongue speaks justice.

2 Timothy 2:15 Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth. But avoid irreverent babble, for it will lead people into more and more ungodliness,

Titus 1:7-9 He must hold firm to the trustworthy word as taught, so that he may be able to give instruction in sound doctrine and also to rebuke those who contradict it.

What does it mean to walk blameless before God? How do you know if you are? How do you know if you are a worker who has no need to be ashamed? How do you know if you speak wisdom? What is a persons life like if they have wondered from the truth? What does it mean to stand in the council of God? What is proper instruction? These questions come to mind when reading these scriptures today. The answers to these are as many as the stars in the sky. However the foundation for answering them is found first in believing in God, having reverence for Him, knowing you are a sinner and in need of redemption, looking to and trusting in the redemptive work of Jesus Christ, repenting and truing away from sin, and choosing to humbly serve, honor, follow and obey God. Staying in His word will continue to refine the answers asked above.