kings – Praying Pint

50.h. Wilderness – 14.n. “You shall not covet the silver or the gold”

Deu 7:22-26 The LORD your God will clear away these nations before you little by little. You may not make an end of them at once, lest the wild beasts grow too numerous for you. But the LORD your God will give them over to you and throw them into great confusion, until they are destroyed. And he will give their kings into your hand, and you shall make their name perish from under heaven. No one shall be able to stand against you until you have destroyed them. The carved images of their gods you shall burn with fire. You shall not covet the silver or the gold that is on them or take it for yourselves, lest you be ensnared by it, for it is an abomination to the LORD your God. And you shall not bring an abominable thing into your house and become devoted to destruction like it. You shall utterly detest and abhor it, for it is devoted to destruction.

Sometimes to our frustration, this is the way God often works in our life. He clears things away little by little even though we might prefer it all at once. But God wanted Israel to grow spiritually in the process of taking the Promised Land. Doing it all at once might seem easier and better to us but will have consequences we cannot see or appreciate. God cares that we grow, and so He grows us little by little.(Guzik)

Thou shalt not be able; I will not assist thee with my omnipotence, to crush them at one run of success and victory; for you are not yet numerous enough to people the whole country at once. But I will bless thee in the use of ordinary means, and thou shalt destroy them by degrees, in several battles, that thou mayest learn by experience to put thy trust in me. (Benson)

It is an abomination to the Lord thy God; not only the idol itself, being put in the place of God, and so derogatory to his honour and glory, but the gold and silver on it, being devoted to a superstitious and idolatrous use; and even the taking of it, and appropriating it to a man’s own use, was an abomination, and resented by the Lord as such. (Gill)

We need to rely upon God’s leading to discern what is good and right and what is worldly and heavenly. The problem arises when we think we can discern this on our own. We lean on our own understanding. We listen to pastors and teachers who do not preach and teach the full Word of God. It would seem they are more interested in how big they can become rather than what you learn. They feed baby food day after day. We should not expect to be able to discern anything living on baby food. It is no wonder there is little difference in how the world lives each day and how many “Christians” live. The love of this world and pleasures of the flesh easily find their way into the hearts that should be far from it. Oh, you may feel comfortable in your church and it might be growing but are the people maturing? Is there a difference in their lives? How many examples does the Bible show us of how easy it is to fall away and blend in with the worldly? How many examples of God’s anger and judgment do we need to read before it changes how we live? How much preaching is on sin? How much teaching is on God’s holiness? How many times are you in church and you feel comfortable and satisfied?

I am not sure we should be comfortable though we ought to find comfort. I don’t think we should be satisfied though we ought to find satisfaction. When we are being led by pastors and teachers who feed baby food we will be very comfortable and very satisfied when in fact we should be in awe, wonder, reverent, humble, thankful, and ever searching our hearts and minds for maturity in knowing and understanding God’s holiness and our sinfulness.

Oh that God would raise up pastors and teachers who rightly divide the Word of God and purpose to do so over butts in the pew and money in reserve.

38.h. “I am God Almighty”

Genesis 35:9 God appeared to Jacob again, when he came from Paddan-aram, and blessed him. And God said to him, “Your name is Jacob; no longer shall your name be called Jacob, but Israel shall be your name.” So he called his name Israel. And God said to him, “I am God Almighty: be fruitful and multiply. A nation and a company of nations shall come from you, and kings shall come from your own body. The land that I gave to Abraham and Isaac I will give to you, and I will give the land to your offspring after you.” Then God went up from him in the place where he had spoken with him. And Jacob set up a pillar in the place where he had spoken with him, a pillar of stone. He poured out a drink offering on it and poured oil on it. So Jacob called the name of the place where God had spoken with him Bethel.

When Jacob finally arrived at the place God told him to go, he immediately found great blessing. God appeared to him, God blessed him, and God called him by his new name (Israel). God granted Jacob a precious reminder of his place in God’s great covenant, begun with his grandfather Abraham. In this, Jacob did not need to hear anything new from God. He just needed to be reminded of what was true, and be encouraged to cling to it all. (Guzik)

Faith, obedience, trust, and reliance in Jesus Christ blesses the heart, soul, and mind. When we walk the lonely paths of self-directed, self-pleasing, and in self-reliance living, we will not find blessings, joy, peace, rest, refuge, firm-hope, courage, or power that is only rightly found in humble obedience following God’s leading each moment of every day.

17.t. “I have glorified it, and will glorify it again.”

John 12:27 “Now my soul 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. Father, glorify your name!” Then a voice came from heaven, “I have glorified it, and will glorify it again.” The crowd that was there and heard it said it had thundered; others said an angel had spoken to him.

Isaiah 49:3-7 And he said to me, “You are my servant, Israel, in whom I will be glorified.” But I said, “I have labored in vain; I have spent my strength for nothing and vanity; yet surely my right is with the LORD, and my recompense with my God.” And now the LORD says, he who formed me from the womb to be his servant, to bring Jacob back to him; and that Israel might be gathered to him— for I am honored in the eyes of the LORD, and my God has become my strength— he says: “It is too light a thing that you should be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob and to bring back the preserved of Israel; I will make you as a light for the nations, that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth.” Thus says the LORD, the Redeemer of Israel and his Holy One, to one deeply despised, abhorred by the nation, the servant of rulers: “Kings shall see and arise; princes, and they shall prostrate themselves; because of the LORD, who is faithful, the Holy One of Israel, who has chosen you.”

I was a little perplexed by “ Father, glorify your name!” Then a voice came from heaven, “I have glorified it, and will glorify it again.” Specifically “I have and I will”. Jesus was troubled by what He knew was coming and the suffering He would endure. He does not ask that this pending suffering be removed but rather God be glorified. And then we hear “I have and I will”. Does this mean I have glorified it by the virgin birth, sending My Son, miracles, signs, wonders, and proclaiming the coming Good News of grace, mercy, and love? Does it mean I will continue to glorify it by what is coming, death, resurrection, ascension, redemption, salvation, and infilling of the Holy Spirit? How is God glorified in this? Imagine a perfect creation given free will to choose to follow and obey the Creator. They are deceived by the Father of all lies, Satan. Creation chooses to disobey (sin) and is separated from their Holy God and receives a death sentence from God as it were. The All-Knowing God has established His perfect purpose and will in redeeming lost mankind. God is glorified when His creation believes in, clings to, and relies on Jesus Christ. “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.” God is glorified when we freely choose to believe in Jesus Christ’s redemption. He is glorified when we seek and desire to do His will in our lives. He is glorified when we surrender fleshly self-centered wants to doing that which honors and glorifies Him. Nothing honors and glorifies Him more than complete surrender to Jesus Christ and fully trusting in His perfect will, plans, and purposes no matter the circumstances. Jesus Christ surrendered fully to the will of God for our redemption and salvation. He alone is worthy of all honor and glory. How will you live today so that He is honored and glorified?

9.l. “Therefore wait for me,” declares the LORD, “for the day when I rise up to seize the prey.

Joel 3:1 “For behold, in those days and at that time, when I restore the fortunes of Judah and Jerusalem, I will gather all the nations and bring them down to the Valley of Jehoshaphat. And I will enter into judgment with them there, on behalf of my people and my heritage Israel, because they have scattered them among the nations and have divided up my land, and have cast lots for my people, and have traded a boy for a prostitute, and have sold a girl for wine and have drunk it.

Zephaniah 3:8     “Therefore wait for me,” declares the LORD, “for the day when I rise up to seize the prey. For my decision is to gather nations, to assemble kingdoms, to pour out upon them my indignation, all my burning anger; for in the fire of my jealousy all the earth shall be consumed.

Revelation 16:14     For they are demonic spirits, performing signs, who go abroad to the kings of the whole world, to assemble them for battle on the great day of God the Almighty.

Isaiah 66:16     For by fire will the LORD enter into judgment, and by his sword, with all flesh; and those slain by the LORD shall be many.

Ezekiel 38:22    With pestilence and bloodshed I will enter into judgment with him, and I will rain upon him and his hordes and the many peoples who are with him torrential rains and hailstones, fire and sulfur.

Obadiah 1:15   For the day of the LORD is near upon all the nations. As you have done, it shall be done to you; your deeds shall return on your own head.

There are many more verses that speaks about the time of restoration for Judah, Jerusalem, Israel. This time comes after a time of severe trials against them. We understand this to be during the great tribulation period. This time will surely come and what has been spoken and recorded will happen. There are two periods of this time no sane person would want any part of. The “Tribulation Period” and the “Day of the Lord”. This time will be like no other time. All those who come to the saving grace knowledge of Jesus Christ during this time will be persecuted continuously and many of them will die because of it. All of those who flat out deny Jesus Christ, will not listen to the witnesses Christ has placed on earth during this time, deny the existence of God, take the Mark of the Beast, and will choose to do battle with God rather than repent and turn away from their wickedness. If you don’t think the return of Jesus Christ is imminent they the signs of the times must be escaping you. The eyes to our hearts, minds, and souls should be ever looking and anticipating His return. Behold He is coming in the clouds and will take His bride home.

8.t. But only those who are written in the Lamb’s book of life.

Revelation 21:22 And I saw no temple in the city, for its temple is the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb. 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. By its light will the nations walk, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it, and its gates will never be shut by day—and there will be no night there. They will bring into it the glory and the honor of the nations. But nothing unclean will ever enter it, nor anyone who does what is detestable or false, but only those who are written in the Lamb’s book of life.

If there is a sad conclusion to John’s description of the city, it is to note that it will be denied to some. Chapter 21 lists the kinds of people who will not enter the city, and verse 27 summarizes by saying “only those who are written in the Lamb’s book of life” will enter the city of God. It will be too late to try to enter for the first invitation to enter into the family of God was rejected. The first invitation for redemption, salvation, forgiveness, and eternity with God was rejected in place for self-satisfying and passions for what the world has to offer. The fact that God was able to soften our heart to hear this invitation should humble our hearts and awaken our soul to deny self and serve Him with our eyes focused on Jesus Christ all the days we have this side of eternity.

7.g. Say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD,’ whether they hear or refuse to hear.”

Revelation 1:8 Then the voice that I had heard from heaven spoke to me again, saying, “Go, take the scroll that is open in the hand of the angel who is standing on the sea and on the land.” So I went to the angel and told him to give me the little scroll. And he said to me, “Take and eat it; it will make your stomach bitter, but in your mouth it will be sweet as honey.” And I took the little scroll from the hand of the angel and ate it. It was sweet as honey in my mouth, but when I had eaten it my stomach was made bitter. And I was told, “You must again prophesy about many peoples and nations and languages and kings.”

Ezekiel 2:8 – 3:1 “But you, son of man, hear what I say to you. Be not rebellious like that rebellious house; open your mouth and eat what I give you.” And when I looked, behold, a hand was stretched out to me, and behold, a scroll of a book was in it. And he spread it before me. And it had writing on the front and on the back, and there were written on it words of lamentation and mourning and woe. And he said to me, “Son of man, eat whatever you find here. Eat this scroll, and go, speak to the house of Israel.” So I opened my mouth, and he gave me this scroll to eat.And he said to me, “Son of man, feed your belly with this scroll that I give you and fill your stomach with it.” Then I ate it, and it was in my mouth as sweet as honey. And he said to me, “Son of man, go to the house of Israel and speak with my words to them. For you are not sent to a people of foreign speech and a hard language, but to the house of Israel— not to many peoples of foreign speech and a hard language, whose words you cannot understand. Surely, if I sent you to such, they would listen to you. But the house of Israel will not be willing to listen to you, for they are not willing to listen to me: because all the house of Israel have a hard forehead and a stubborn heart. Behold, I have made your face as hard as their faces, and your forehead as hard as their foreheads. Like emery harder than flint have I made your forehead. Fear them not, nor be dismayed at their looks, for they are a rebellious house.” Moreover, he said to me, “Son of man, all my words that I shall speak to you receive in your heart, and hear with your ears. And go to the exiles, to your people, and speak to them and say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD,’ whether they hear or refuse to hear.” Then the Spirit lifted me up, and I heard behind me the voice of a great earthquake: “Blessed be the glory of the LORD from its place!” It was the sound of the wings of the living creatures as they touched one another, and the sound of the wheels beside them, and the sound of a great earthquake. The Spirit lifted me up and took me away, and I went in bitterness in the heat of my spirit, the hand of the LORD being strong upon me.

John, like Ezekiel, was told to consume the message of God. This message was sweet to the taste but bitter to the stomach. When you think about it there is something sweet and bitter with God’s Word. Grace, mercy, and love – sweet, Wrath, anger, judgment – bitter. Do you ever wonder if today there is enough being taught and preached about the two of these? We here so much of the grace, mercy, and love without a full understanding of the need to preach the whole Gospel which also speaks of wrath, anger, and judgment. The Gospel that promises me redemption, forgiveness, salvation, life, hope, peace, rest, satisfaction and eternity in heaven also promises wrath, anger, judgment, unrest, confusion, anxiousness, fear, turmoil, dissatisfaction, discontentment, anguish, disappointment, regret, unhappiness, frustration, chaos, and eternity in Hell. How many have trusted in a shallow gospel of prosperity, health, and heaven with a single understanding of the benefits of coming to Christ? How is it they can know the need of forgiveness without knowing of sin and its consequences? How can they know the depth of the love of Jesus Christ if they do not know of the depth of His wrath, anger, and judgment against those who reject Him? Preaching and teaching and believing in a watered-down gospel does no one any good. The need to be saved can only be understood when we know what we are being saved from. Understanding and becoming aware that we deserve hell but have been given a choice of redemption through Jesus Christ is the beginning and all of the promises and blessings after this deepen our faith commitment post being saved (born again). The sweet and blessed redemption through the Love of Jesus Christ and the bitter consequences of the rejection of this Love must be proclaimed.

198. Josiah turned to the Lord with all his heart and with all his soul and with all his might

2 Kings 23:21 And the king commanded all the people, “Keep the Passover to the Lord your God, as it is written in this Book of the Covenant.” For no such Passover had been kept since the days of the judges who judged Israel, or during all the days of the kings of Israel or of the kings of Judah. But in the eighteenth year of King Josiah this Passover was kept to the Lord in Jerusalem.

Moreover, Josiah put away the mediums and the necromancers and the household gods and the idols and all the abominations that were seen in the land of Judah and in Jerusalem, that he might establish the words of the law that were written in the book that Hilkiah the priest found in the house of the Lord. Before him there was no king like him, who turned to the Lord with all his heart and with all his soul and with all his might, according to all the Law of Moses, nor did any like him arise after him.

Still the Lord did not turn from the burning of his great wrath, by which his anger was kindled against Judah, because of all the provocations with which Manasseh had provoked him. And the Lord said, “I will remove Judah also out of my sight, as I have removed Israel, and I will cast off this city that I have chosen, Jerusalem, and the house of which I said, My name shall be there.”

2 Chronicles 35:17 And the people of Israel who were present kept the Passover at that time, and the Feast of Unleavened Bread seven days. No Passover like it had been kept in Israel since the days of Samuel the prophet. None of the kings of Israel had kept such a Passover as was kept by Josiah, and the priests and the Levites, and all Judah and Israel who were present, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem. In the eighteenth year of the reign of Josiah this Passover was kept.

It is hard to believe that the Passover was cast aside and treated like an outdated tradition. But that is what happened. The memory, remembrance, and celebration of the great, awesome, majestic, powerful, and merciful miracle of God against the Egyptians for the Israelites were cast aside. Seven miracles were performed, all in the view of the Israelites prior to the Passover miracle. This celebration was to be passed down from generation to generation so that they would not forget the great hand of God that led them from slavery. We can see this did not happen. At some point, it was stopped just like the reading of God’s word. God’s word had been put aside and with it all commitment to love Him with their whole heart, mind, soul, and strength.

The importance of what God has done in our lives should never be minimized or forgotten. Jesus Christ took on our sin, bore the penalty of it, and did this willingly while we were yet sinners. He did this out of love. “For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son so that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life.” Just as in the Passover where lamb’s blood was put on the doorposts so that the angel of death would pass over those who did this, Jesus is the Lamb of God that takes away the sins of the world. To minimize the sacrifice, to cast aside the love given, and to disregard the penalty paid by being neglectful and complacent is wrong on so many levels. Note how Josiah got rid of everything that was a hindrance and replacement for serving God with their whole heart, mind, and soul. Let us not forget. Let us commit anew. Let us humbly serve, honor, glorify, follow, trust, and obey God for He alone is worthy.

Until there was no remedy

“Will you not receive instruction and listen to my words? declares the LORD.”

“But they did not hear or pay attention to me, declares the LORD.”

Hosea 11:2  The more they were called, the more they went away;

Hosea 11:7    My people are bent on turning away from me, and though they call out to the Most High, he shall not raise them up at all.

Deuteronomy 29:2-4      And Moses summoned all Israel and said to them: “You have seen all that the LORD did before your eyes in the land of Egypt, to Pharaoh and to all his servants and to all his land,  the great trials that your eyes saw, the signs, and those great wonders.  But to this day the LORD has not given you a heart to understand or eyes to see or ears to hear.

1 Samuel 8:7-9     And the LORD said to Samuel, “Obey the voice of the people in all that they say to you, for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected me from being king over them.  According to all the deeds that they have done, from the day I brought them up out of Egypt even to this day, forsaking me and serving other gods, so they are also doing to you.

Jeremiah 44:16-17     “As for the word that you have spoken to us in the name of the LORD, we will not listen to you.  But we will do everything that we have vowed, make offerings to the queen of heaven and pour out drink offerings to her, as we did, both we and our fathers, our kings and our officials, in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem. For then we had plenty of food, and prospered, and saw no disaster.

Acts 7:51     “You stiff-necked people, uncircumcised in heart and ears, you always resist the Holy Spirit. As your fathers did, so do you.

2 Chronicles 36:15-16    The LORD, the God of their fathers, sent persistently to them by his messengers, because he had compassion on his people and on his dwelling place.  But they kept mocking the messengers of God, despising his words and scoffing at his prophets, until the wrath of the LORD rose against his people, until there was no remedy.

2 Kings 17:13-15     But they would not listen, but were stubborn, as their fathers had been, who did not believe in the LORD their God.  They despised his statutes and his covenant that he made with their fathers and the warnings that he gave them. They went after false idols and became false, and they followed the nations that were around them, concerning whom the LORD had commanded them that they should not do like them.

Nehemiah 9:30     Many years you bore with them and warned them by your Spirit through your prophets. Yet they would not give ear.

Isaiah 30:9-11     For they are a rebellious people, lying children, children unwilling to hear the instruction of the LORD; …let us hear no more about the Holy One of Israel.”

John 3:19    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.

Luke 13:34    O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing!

God is slow to anger and is full of grace, mercy and love. This is fully displayed in and through Christ “for while we were yet sinners Christ died for us.” I wonder if we’re guilty of living in this grace, mercy, and love of God disregarding His word, resisting the Holy Spirit, not hearing or following or obeying His leading, rejecting truth for lies, replacing being a humble servant to Him for self, coveting what the world has to offer, seeking satisfaction for the heart and soul through everything other than Him and His word, and giving no thought to honoring, worshiping, glorifying and praising Him through what we think, say, and do.

Do not mistake the steadfast love of God for acceptance of complacency, neglect, self satisfaction, busyness, resistance and rejection or the Holy Spirit’s leading, and lukewarm commitment to Him.

Can you hear the warning given in Scripture? Can you understand the heart of man leads toward a path away from God? Do you recognize the choice set before you?

Fully convinced

Genesis 17:15 And God said to Abraham, “As for Sarai your wife, you shall not call her name Sarai, but Sarah shall be her name. I will bless her, and moreover, I will give you a son by her. I will bless her, and she shall become nations; kings of peoples shall come from her.” Then Abraham fell on his face and laughed and said to himself, “Shall a child be born to a man who is a hundred years old? Shall Sarah, who is ninety years old, bear a child?”

Romans 4:19-20 He did not weaken in faith when he considered his own body, which was as good as dead (since he was about a hundred years old), or when he considered the barrenness of Sarah’s womb. No unbelief made him waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God, fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised.

Hebrews 11:11-19 By faith Sarah herself received power to conceive, even when she was past the age, since she considered him faithful who had promised. Therefore from one man, and him as good as dead, were born descendants as many as the stars of heaven and as many as the innumerable grains of sand by the seashore These all died in faith, not having received the things promised, but having seen them and greeted them from afar, and having acknowledged that they were strangers and exiles on the earth. For people who speak thus make it clear that they are seeking a homeland. If they had been thinking of that land from which they had gone out, they would have had opportunity to return. But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared for them a city. By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises was in the act of offering up his only son, of whom it was said, “Through Isaac shall your offspring be named.” He considered that God was able even to raise him from the dead, from which, figuratively speaking, he did receive him back.

Faith is somewhat of a mystery. Scripture says it is the “substance of things hoped for and evidence of things not seen.” In this mystery we find salvation and forgiveness of sin. We find strength for today and hope for tomorrow. We experience peace when things around us are falling apart. We find joy in the midst of trials. We learn to lean not on our own understanding but through prayer we, by faith, let our requests be know to God. By faith we trust He will guide, direct, protect, and care for our needs. By faith we wake each day knowing He is in control and has a perfect plan and purpose for our day. By faith we acknowledge His unlimited steadfast love and control over all.

Light shinning in the Darkness

“The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness, on them has light shone.”

“I will make you as a light for the nations, that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth.”

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.” So the Pharisees said to him, “You are bearing witness about yourself; your testimony is not true.” Jesus answered, “Even if I do bear witness about myself, my testimony is true, for I know where I came from and where I am going, but you do not know where I come from or where I am going. You judge according to the flesh; I judge no one. Yet even if I do judge, my judgment is true, for it is not I alone who judge, but I and the Father who sent me. In your Law it is written that the testimony of two people is true. I am the one who bears witness about myself, and the Father who sent me bears witness about me.”

Isaiah 42:6 “I am the LORD; I have called you in righteousness; I will take you by the hand and keep you; I will give you as a covenant for the people, a light for the nations, 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 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.

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.

Luke 1:78 because of the tender mercy of our God, whereby the sunrise shall visit us from on high to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.”

Acts 13:47 For so the Lord has commanded us, saying, “‘I have made you a light for the Gentiles, that you may bring salvation to the ends of the earth.’”

Job 33:28 He has redeemed my soul from going down into the pit, and my life shall look upon the light.’

2 Peter 2:4 For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but cast them into hell and committed them to chains of gloomy darkness to be kept until the judgment;

How does the Light of the world shine into an individuals life? The word of God is this light. So how does this light shine in darkness? Scripture says Hebrews 4:12 For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. These are the places of darkness, full of sinful intent. The light we are seeking and if we are seeking comes from the word of God. His word does not return to Him void, it will accomplish His purpose. Think about being in darkness and having a flashlight but choosing not to turn on the light. If you are lost and trying to find your way in the darkness does this make any sense? Not being able to see the obstacles and pitfalls in front of us leaves us in danger. This is not a very good way to walk through life. Yet we choose to neglect the light and walk the paths of this world in darkness. Open up God’s word and read light into your life. Share the light with others. Give God honor, glory and praise with a thankful heart for this light.