Jesus;The Light Of The World

John 12:12" Then spake Jesus again unto them,saying,I am the light of the world:He that followeth me shall not walk in darkness,but shall have the light of life."

Until Jesus came to dwell among men, the entire world was in darkness.The concept of walking in darkness, symbolized the sin and ignorance of the lost. Even the most Godly of men relied upon the priest to offer annual sacrifices, first for himself and then for the sins of the people.The comming of Christ, the spotless lamb of God,has taken away our sins and our darkness.His purpose in comming as the "light" was to rescue all who believes in him from satan's"dominion of darkness" and to bring them "into the kingdom of the Son",Gods kingdom of light and love.

Jesus the "true light" that gives light to every man;but this light is available only to those who believe in and follow(obey)Christ. True believers will never walk in darkness,That is they will not continually abide in sin and spiritual ignorance.They shall walk in the light,the devine truth and holiness of God. The path of the just is as the shining light,that shineth more and more unto the perfect day.When you are born again,God opens your eyes to the spiritual realm, allowing you to see and understand things that you didn't know existed.They are hidden from the world,but revealed unto us.The holy spirit indwelling us reveals to us the path to life,(taking us from darkness into his marvelous light), the will of God ,and the revelation of the word of God.

Now we are the lights of the world, who were sent to open the eyes of the lost,to turn them from darkness to light,and free them from the grips of satan,and lead the to the mercy God, that their sins may be forgiven.But just as the Father and son are one, we to must be one with Christ, for he alone is the source of our light, without him we to are in darkness...........

Lord is It I?

Matthew 26:22"And they were exceeding sorrowful, and begin every one of them to say unto him, Lord is it I?"

Here they are at the Lord supper,and the Lord says "one of you shall betray me", the Lords inner circle, his twelve, hand picked by him,and one would betray him.They were troubled to know their master would be betrayed, and it troubled them even more to know one of them would do it.They were troubled most of all, that they didn't know which one it was;each afraid for himself,and they asked "Lord is it I".They didn't point fingers at each other, or place blame on one another; they didn't say Lord is it Peter,John or James, they each asked "Lord is it I".

Saints we must all examine ourselves in our walk with the Lord, we must begin to look within for those things which hinder our relationship with Christ.Look within for the gods of this world that blinds us to the will and way of the Lord.They each looked within and ask the question "Lord is it I",Is it I betraying you for the love of money, selling you out for a hand full of silver.Is it I committing spiritual adultry and fornication,as I confess with my mouth, my marriage to the lamb, but secretly climb in and out of the bed with the gods of this world.Lord is it I,being led by the powers of satan unaware, captivated by his lies,and false promises, blinded to the things of heaven, trapped in the flesh,a slave to the old man and his ways,while confessing a new life in Christ.Lord is it I,causing division within your flock, proclaiming and teaching a self serving doctrine,catering your word to fit my beliefs, and lifestyle, Lord is it I; Am I denying you three times before the cock crows,denying you in my walk, in my talk, and in my appearence, as I bear no resemblance to you at all. Lord is it I who dips with you in the love of the Father with one hand, while stabbing you in the back with the other.Lord is it I,Who serves you with my lips, while my heart is far from you, dressed up on the outside looking like a new man, but on the inside just dead lifeless bones, walking on the same crooked path.They all asked" Lord is it I", eating bread with you while,lifting my heals up against you, they wanted and needed to know for themselves,"Lord is it I."

Saints we must be absolutly sure as to where we stand with Christ,salvation is real, and the choices we make are eternal; have you with all sincerity of heart, ask the question" Lord is it I". Because we were the "I" who was lost in sin,the"I" on the way to hell, and the "I" that Jesus suffered ,bled and died to save. So let us ask daily, "Lord is it I" and then pray for the strength not to betray the Lord of Glory.............

Dying To Live!

Colossians 3:5 "Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth;fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affections,evil concupiscence,and covetousness,which is idolatry".(read 3:5-11)

Here this is a violent passage of scripture,a passage that attacks many people right where they are living.In this third chapter of Colossians,we see the violent demands of the believer's new life in Christ .It tells us to put to death the sins that enslaves the body and it's members.The word "mortify" means to put to death or act as though the body is dead.The believer is to take the various parts of his body and put them to death in so far as sin is concerned.How does one do this you ask?He considers his body to be hid in the death of Christ. He lives as though his body is dead with Christ.And remember a dead man cannot sin; a dead man can do nothing.Therefore, the believer is dead to sin,as he lives through Christ.

The point is this: it is an act of the mind or spirit.A person wants to live for God;therefore, he looks at his body and at sin.The only way he can possibly conquer sin is to treat his body as dead to sin or to consider sin as dead to his body.The person has to live as though his body has no part in sin,and sin has no part in his body.But note, this life is possible only in Christ.Christ alone,through the Holy Spirit,can work within the human heart and give it the energy and power to conquer sin permanently and eternally. Some men can discipline themselves to overcome some sin,but not all sin,and not all the time.This can only be done through Christ.There is an enormous difference between human discipline and godly control,and that difference is Jesus Christ.Not only are we told to put to death the sins that enslave the body,but we are also instructed to strip off the sins that enslave the emotions and the tongus(vs.8-11). Contrary to what we want to believe save people don't just act or speak any old kind of way.A Christian is Christ like in action as well as conversation.

What sins are to be mortified or put to death?The Bible is very specific, for there are some very specific sins which tend to enslave the human body.In fact,note the term "children of disobedience". These particular sins are not only terrible acts of disobedience to God,they are sins that can enslave the human body so much that they make a believer, a child of disobedience.How many are professing Christ here on the social network, yet are living in fornication,worshiping Idols,or using foul language.Some even boast about ungodly acts which they do like they are proud of them,children of disobedience.Rather we like it or not there is a demand put on all who profess this new life in Christ. 

God Has Been Good to You

Psalms 116:7 "Return unto thy rest,O my soul;for the Lord hath dealt bountifully with thee".

In these troubled times we can get pulled away from the rest and peace of the Lord by the trials and percieved troubles of this world.We without even being aware of it ,at times begin to focus on that which we don't have and we don't thank and praise God for that which we do have.Through it all we must remember that God has been good to us.

We must remember that when we were lost in darkness on our way to hell, He sent His only begotten Son to die on a cross to save our souls.Everything we need God gave us when he gave us Jesus.In Jesus we have salvation, in Jesus He has supplied our every need, in Jesus He our battles are won,in Jesus   our enemies behave, in Jesus we have rest and peace for our souls.So let us return to the Lord,he said in His word "take no thought", we already have the victory, our needs have already been met,but we must walk in the faith that we have all that we need.Jesus does have all power,and we must live in the faith that we are victorious, and believe that no weapon formed against us shall prosper,that all things does work together for good to them who love the Lord,and return for the Lord has been good to us.

As I look over my own life,even in these hard times, God has supplied my every need.17 years ago I was homeless, on drugs had lost my children.The world said I was unfit to live ,but God felt I was to precious to die.Today as I look back I see that God has been good to me,and woe with me if I don't preach the gospel of Jesus Christ,the power of God unto Salvation. "As good as God has been to me,I can't afford not to praise his name".

God's Great Love

John 3:16 "For God so loved the world, that he gave His only begotten son,that whosoever believeth in him,should not perish,but have everlasting life".

Here we have the most popular,the most quoted and no doubt the most misunderstood scriptures in the bible.It is misunderstood because of man inability to grasp the love of God.we tend to love base on how we feel about the person or the situation.We love with expectations,we love with our eyes,see we love what we see, taste,and can feel.But here Jesus reveals God's great love.

"God so loved the world",He loved the whole world.The ideal that God loves the world is a new idea. The Jews believed God loved the religious(the true jew) and hated the nonreligious(the gentiles).These same thoughts are held by many in every generation,especially by the religious community.The Fact that God so loves is shocking.He loves the saint and the sinner,God loves everyman,not just those who love Him but also those who reject Him.He loves the unlovable, unloving,the unbelieveing,the obstinate, the selfish, the greedy, the spiteful,and the vengeful.The basic of God Love is his nature,for God is love. He didn't just love ,He so loved.He loved so much that he gave his only begotten Son. He gave not only all he had but the best that he had, like Abel offering the best of his fruits,like the woman with the two mites, giving all that she had.He gave His only Son to suffer judgement for my sins and yours.He gave His only son to be punished for our sins."God commended His love toward us that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us".He gave His only son to die for sinners.He did this so that we who rebelled against Him, we who cried with one voice "crucify Him and give us Barabas", so that we the sinner might have eternal life with Him in heaven.He gave so that we might have,His Son died so that we might live.

When the world said we were not fit to live, God felt we were to precious to die,and he gave His only begotten Son ,not based on out love for Him,but because of His love for us.Let us now take this love we have been blessed to experience and share it with another,that all may come to know the goodness of the Lord.Let us love inspite of.Don't just talk about loving one another, but like our Father, show our love one to another. Let us give the best of ourselves and all of our selves that another might be saved.

Actions Speaks Louder Than Words!

1John 3:10 "In this the children of God and the devil are manifest:Who ever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is he who does not love his brother".

The scripture reveals that God's children occasionally sin after baptism.But, if they wish to continue in His favor,they must not only confess to Him but also ask Him to"cleanse them from all unrighteousness". We cannot please God if we deliberately practice sinning.However,some habits deeply ingrained from early childhood may not be that easily overcome.The effects of such sin tend to foster serious weaknesses in our walk.It may take a long period of diligent striving to finally overcome.Paul put it this way:"Put to death, therefore,whatever belongs to your earthy nature".We can accomplish this through the power of God's Spirit.

James puts God's requirements in perspective:"Does a fountain send out from the same opening both fresh and bitter water?Can a fig tree, my brethren,produce olives, or a vine produce figs?Neither can salt water produce fresh.Who among you is wise and understanding?Let Him show by his actions his deeds in the gentlness of wisdom.But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your heart, do not be arrogant and so lie against the truth.This wisdom is not that which comes down from above,but is earthly,natural,demonic.For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there is disorder and every evil thing".(James 3:11-16 NASB). You can't say you love yet your actions are those of hate.But when we esteem others higher than our selves it removes all envy, and selfish ambition and makes room for a sacrificial love,laying aside our will for that of another, this shows our love one for another.

God is love.Love is the foundation of God's character.God's love in us should transform our character. "Love is patient,love is kind,and is not jealous;love does not brag and is not arrogant, does not act unbecoming; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered, does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth;bears all things, believes all things,hopes all things, endures all things.Love never fails.Every other aspect of the fruit of the spirit is merely a specific expression of godly love.We are not just to love our friends and family ,but also love those who do not love us,for which we need God's Spirit to help us.We must overcome evil with good. Let us be known as a child of God by portraying the fruits of God's Spirit

Be Ye Holy

Thessalonians 4:7 "For God hath not called us unto uncleanness,but unto holiness".

"You can talk the talk, but can you walk the walk?"This quote has become a common catch phrase among believer.Anyone can grow up in church or hang around church people and pick up church language."I'm too blessed to be stressed"."I'm saved,santified,and filled with the holy ghost". Does the public and private life of a believer reflect his or her church jargon, or are these just catchy phrases used to cover up ones short commings?

Saints God is calling us,God speaks to us in various ways, and he is calling us to stand up in the holiness of his darling Son, whom he sent to die that we might live. Perhaps we've heard the still,small voice of his spirit directing our spirit.Or maybe our conscience has screamed at us when we've headed toward something we know isn't pleasing to God.Maybe some instruction in God's word has hit us squarely between the eyes when we've needed it most.And then there are the timely conversations with the other Christians that brings us a needed word of encouragement,direction,or warning. Yes God is speaking to us,calling us to holiness.But are we listening? Sometimes we're so busy with us, we don't really stop long enough to acknowledge or absorb what He's saying to us. At other times we may not want to hear what He's saying because it dosn't suit us. Or we may just not take the time when we have it, because we're "not in the mood" to spend time with God.(let us be honest with ourselves).Hopefully, though this isn't the norm for us.As Christians, we should long to hear from God and approach Him with a heart that is eager to listen and please him.But it can be a battle to fight against our own will, as well as the will of the world's demands pressing in on our time and attention.That why it is so important to have some quiet time set aside everyday (maybe 2 or 3 times a day) just to spend time with God. Time set aside to listen to his instructions. The time of day we do this is not as important as having the readiness of heart and mind to not only receive what God is telling us, but also to obey what he tells us. God is calling us to holiness, the word says "be ye Holy as I am Holy", but we'll need to be listening in order to hear His call.

Jesus said that those who follow Him should live in such a way, so that others would see their good works and glorify God in Heaven.So our holiness is more than just a matter of personal spiritual growth; it's a matter of honoring God and proclaiming Him to the world.To most of the world we are the only way they will see God. Are you an accurate reflection of our Saviors? Does your actions, attititude, and way of life ,show Christ like characteristics? Will you answer God's call to Holiness?