The Darkness Cannot Hide the Light

Matthew 5:14-16 “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.”

Our pastor shared this wonderful truth with us in his sermon: “The darkness cannot hide the light.” You can be one single light in the darkness and the darkness will not be able to hide even one candle burning.

There is a lot of darkness in this world and sometimes it is hard to be different, but do not be tempted to hide your light. We have a responsibility to shine our lights brightly for the Lord, giving glory to Him.

Darkness represents so much evil and when there seems to be an abyss of darkness, be encouraged that even one little light cannot be hidden by it. You are making a difference in the World.

It is always a relief to see light when you are in darkness. It is attractive, and it offers hope. That’s what we offer to the World through Christ. The hope of eternal life with Him.

Fortunately, we are not called to be one single light in the abyss of darkness, we are called to walk with Jesus. Sometimes, in trials it can feel like we are alone, trying desperately to keep burning our one little candle, but God comes alongside us and strengthens us. Through His Word and when we set our minds on things above, we can shine our lights for all eternity.

My thanks goes to Pastor Bill Foss of Harvest Church for allowing me to use his illustration.

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At the End of the Day

Lately, each night when I climb into bed, I think, “Where did the day go? It went by so fast!” And, I hope that what I did during the day was for something bigger than myself, that it was for Jesus. Psalm 90 boomerangs off my mind, touching the echo of my heart and there it stays.

“So teach us to number our days, That we may gain a heart of wisdom.” Psalm 90:12

I lay in bed and I question what matters most to me. I think about where my time is being placed, falling so short at times. Empty minutes can be stolen so quickly. I try to consider the emphasis of eternal values in my daily choices. Am I doing okay, Lord?

Not in a works-based kind of way, but in a way where my heart rests in the One who created it, and longs to align with His ways, because He teaches me what matters. Because He is holy and perfect and loving.

Time is slipping away. So fast.

“Oh, satisfy us early with Your mercy, That we may rejoice and be glad all our days!” Psalm 90:14

My ministry right now is loving my husband and pouring into our children. Our little ones who need Jesus and the not so little anymore who need Jesus. The latter clearly define how fast the time really goes.

“Let Your work appear to Your servants, And Your glory to their children.” Psalm 90:16

At the end of the day, when I am exhausted, and cannot fill one more cup for a thirsty child, do one more load of laundry, or listen to one more person talk to me, I wonder, am I letting the moments escape? Lord, remind me to make them count.

“And let the beauty of the Lord our God be upon us, And establish the work of our hands for us; Yes, establish the work of our hands.” Psalm 90:17

No Need To Doubt

Earlier this week I was thinking about a study of the book of 1 John that I participated in a few years ago. It was one of the best studies ever. We took our time and spent several months gleaning all the different truths God wanted to impart to us. That study was eye opening. It left me in awe and humbled by God’s incredible desire to have His children know that we are His.

I have trusted in, leaned on and relied upon what Jesus did 2000 years ago to cancel out my sin debt. I still rely on His forgiveness daily. I do realize that on my own it is impossible for me to be at peace with perfect Holy God. My trust must be in Jesus alone because He alone is perfect. Eternity is a long time and I want to know that God will receive my spirit to Himself when I pass from this life into the next. Don’t you?

The book of 1 John is full of that assurance. Reading it reminds me that yes I truly am a child of God. The Apostle John wrote that the assurance I need is the specific reason why he penned 1 John.

These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, SO THAT YOU MAY KNOW that you have eternal life. 1 John 5:13 (Emphasis mine)

You see God doesn’t want us to wonder, guess or cross our fingers in hopes that by chance we might live forever with Him. His desire is that we know, without a doubt, we are eternally His. If we are His then reading the book of 1 John will give us that assurance.

Have you trusted Jesus for your salvation? Or are you trusting in your own imperfect goodness to please God? Are you sure you have eternal life? If you don’t know then take an honest look at yourself, confess your sins and believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God and by believing you may have life in His name.

S.O.S

Ugh! I found myself in need of a rescuer. My car was in a ditch. Worry and anxiety flooded my heart as I looked around at my surroundings. A long road twisted and turned in front of me, houses were far and few between. I found myself alone, overwhelmed and in need.

With each heartbeat, I felt the thump in my chest increase. Each with a stronger force than any of the beats prior. Fear set in. Full force. 

Physically I was okay. Looking at me, no one would even know the worry that overcame me. Jesus knew, but not the average soul. I trusted that someone would come to help me pull my vehicle out of this ditch, but I also felt a lonely presence over my heart. No rescuer would come for me, unless I called for it. That is exactly it, The Rescuer wants us to realize our need for Him.

If we were all honest, I believe the heart of women long for a knight in shining armor, to swoop us away from whatever specific woe our heart is entangled in, and save us. We create ditches of worry, fear, and anxiety for ourselves. We often hide these hurts from others, and forget that our Creator knows our wounds. Maybe it is your health, your marriage, or your finances?

Some of these ditches we have been thrown into by others we love, while some we have dug for ourselves and jump in head first. You know the name of your ditch. You know the heavy burden far too well.

When I slid my car into a ditch, I called my Daddy and told him my predicament. My earthly father came to my rescue, and my Heavenly Father has too when I have called upon Him for help. He has never failed me.

Jesus is the ultimate rescuer and the ultimate heartbeat settler. He is ready and waiting for your S.O.S call.

Lamentations 3:55-58 says, “I called on your name, Lord, from the depths of the pit. You heard my plea: “Do not close your ears to my cry for relief.” You came near when I called you, and you said, “Do not fear.” You, Lord, took up my case, you redeemed my life.”

You see, we really do have a knight in shining armor on a gallant white steed just waiting for our call to be reached. He longs for us to humble ourselves and to ask for His help.

The question is, will you call upon Him?

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” Matthew 11:28 

A Heart Full Of Jesus

Ever have one of those days when you are just tired? Tired of making and cleaning up meals, tired of the endless laundry, fighting children, and messes? Maybe you are dealing with some health issues, or stressful relationships that your trying to navigate through. You’ve spent all day pouring yourself out for your family and the ones you love and then your poor husband walks through the door and asks you, “How was your day?” And just like a proverbial straw, that breaks the camels back, you lose it. I have been amazed at how quickly I can reach this place in my heart. And then to my utter amazement, I was led to look into my own heart and ask myself a very simple question. Why?

It seems like a simple question but the answer was much harder to accept than I expected. A simple one word question brought me to my knees and opened my eyes to the depravity of my own heart. God made me keenly aware of my idolatry.

Idolatry in its most simple form is putting anything above God. And let me tell you sisters, it is not hard to do! As a matter of fact, I believe it’s probably one of the easiest things to do. Idols come in all shapes and forms. Most of the time we think of golden calves and Buddha statues, but what about a clean house? Or your pant size? My own personal idols tend to revolve around people pleasing, success, and avoiding conflict. And get this?! You can even make an idol out of good things! I grew up in a broken home. Can you guess where my people pleasing and avoiding difficulties stemmed from? They came from a childhood of trying to be a peacemaker. Being a peacemaker is a good thing, but when peace making morphs into selfishness and refusing to be obedient to God, it is now an Idol.

Idolatry is something God cares a lot about! So much so that it’s the very first commandment. In Exodus 20:3 it says, “You shall have no other gods before me.” And if you continue on to Exodus 34:14 it says, “Do not worship any other god, for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God.” God wants to be number one in our lives. When we are drowning in a mountain of laundry, we need to remember we are doing it for Him. When our children have spent the entire day pushing every one of our buttons, we need to remember the cross and how much Christ suffered to save us from ourselves. If He could pour out His blood to redeem me, can I not pour out myself for those around me and for the sake of the gospel?

I’ll end with this. “If there’s anything in life that we should be passionate about, it’s the gospel….I mean passionate about thinking about it, dwelling on it, rejoicing in it, allowing it to color the way we look at the world. Only one thing can be of first importance to each of us. And only the gospel ought to be.” C.J.Mahaney

Idolatry is something you will fight every day of your life, but I want to encourage you to ask those hard “why” questions every day. Having a heart full of Jesus is something worth fighting for, and you surely will be blessed because of it!

The Need to Read

I love books and I love reading. My Granny use to say, “A good book is like a friend.” My Mum says I am a lot like her and it is lovely to know I share the passion for books with my Grandmother. A good book is very good company indeed.

The Bible is more than good company, God speaks to us through it. His Holy Spirit enlightens us to His scriptures. It guides us through life to be the person God created us to be and it helps us to truly know Him and His will for our lives.

2 Timothy 3:16-17

“All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.”

The Bible is the only self-help book you will ever need. His word completes us, it equips us, it teaches us and corrects us. Every word of the Bible is meant to be there, that is why it says that all scripture is God breathed. Every single word has a purpose.

God’s word is powerful!

The Bible reveals the condition of our hearts. It reveals our need for a Savior. When Jesus walked the earth and taught the people he said, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth and the truth will set you free.” (John 8:31)

Reading this book sets us free! Once we realize the condition of our hearts and ask the Lord Jesus to be our Savior, we are set free from sin and death.

My parents used to sing a Christian children’s song to me and my sisters, which included the words “the best book to read is the Bible.” And it is a fact. The best book, that will change your life, is the Bible.

Seriously!

One of my seven little darlings is the serious type. He matter of factly states the truth and because he is only four, he is just adorable. Recently, one of his older brothers got baptized and while we were talking about that event coming up, the four year old says, “You know mom, he is going to need a towel and a change of clothes.” I hadn’t even thought that far at the time, but leave it to him to state the orderly facts. 

There are things in life that are very serious. You know, in an instant we could be standing before God giving an account for our life here on earth. That is so serious our eternity is at stake. For those who have not said yes to Jesus, it is very scary. Some people think its so scary they refuse to talk about it and try to push it out of their minds. 

“But they will have to give an accounting to him who stands ready to judge the living and the dead” (1 Peter 4:5).

Two serious facts stand before us, we are either going to die or Christ is going to return for us. 

“The end of all things is near; therefore be serious and discipline yourselves for the sake of your prayers”  (1 Peter 4:7).

Some things we need to take seriously.

If you haven’t made the choice to give Him your life, where you are at right now, thank Him for dying for you and tell Him you want to live for Him. In a moment, we will be standing face to face with God. If you have the hope of salvation it’ll be seriously glorious.