Lighting Experience – Day 2

It’s great to be back on this journey, the journey of faith. It is great to have our paths properly lit for the journey, so that we are properly guided; so we do not stumble and fall. It is pleasing to have a lighting experience.

Yesterday we looked at God’s light into our life via his word, his grace and his love. We also recommended sharing this light of God to others, so that our surroundings could be properly lit by the light that we have shared in other people’s lives. This is very important! Would you want to be the only light in a vast darkness?

As we earlier said, we would be reflecting on Psalm 36 and the Gospel of John throughout this 21 days. So strap up and get ready for another lighting experience.

Again let’s visit Psalm 36, click below to go throw the bible text.

21 Day Lighting Experience – Psalm 36

Psalm 36

1 I have a message from God in my heart concerning the sinfulness of the wicked:[b] There is no fear of God before their eyes. 2 In their own eyes they flatter themselves too much to detect or hate their sin. 3 The words of their mouths are wicked and deceitful; they fail to act wisely or do good. 4 Even on their beds they plot evil; they commit themselves to a sinful course and do not reject what is wrong. 5 Your love, Lord, reaches to the heavens, your faithfulness to the skies. 6 Your righteousness is like the highest mountains, your justice like the great deep. You, Lord, preserve both people and animals. 7 How priceless is your unfailing love, O God! People take refuge in the shadow of your wings. 8 They feast on the abundance of your house; you give them drink from your river of delights. 9 For with you is the fountain of life; in your light we see light. 10 Continue your love to those who know you, your righteousness to the upright in heart. 11 May the foot of the proud not come against me, nor the hand of the wicked drive me away. 12 See how the evildoers lie fallen— thrown down, not able to rise! Holy Bible, New International Version® from Biblegateway.com

Psalm 36 is a beautiful text. It is beautiful because it is a special call to repentance. It is a call to draw us away from darkness, away from sin, away from our self-idolized righteousness. A call from darkness into light and from self righteousness into the righteousness of God.

May God open our eyes to his righteousness only and open our hearts to do his will always. Amen!

We may often be tempted to rate our righteousness against that of others. Be careful! This breeds pride, forgetting that we are nothing if not the grace of God. We are reminded that we are called into God’s wonderful and loving light. It is not our righteousness… it is God’s righteousness. We are only carriers of God’s righteousness though the grace of God.

Furthermore, Psalm 36 reminds us of our wicked ways in contrast to our dependence on God’s grace and righteousness. It calls us to repent, this is a message from God direct to our heart; which concerns the sinfulness of the wicked.

In verse 2 the Psalmist remind us of how people flatter themselves that they are doing the right thing. This is explicitly displayed in John’s Gospel Chapter 2. Where Jesus is forced to drive out those who have turned the temple into a market.

Do you flatter yourself to be doing the right thing, based on your definition and acceptance of what you tag right over what God has deem to be right. Is your idea of right and wrong dependent on your judgement, wisdom, expert views, knowledge, sophistication, college degrees, political correctness, number of years as a christian or primarily based on the will of God? May God open our eyes to his righteousness only and open our hearts to do his will always. Amen!

Again let’s visit John Chapter 2, click below to go throw the bible text.

21 Day Lighting Experience – John Chapter 2

John Chapter 2

2 On the third day a wedding took place at Cana in Galilee. Jesus’ mother was there, 2 and Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding. 3 When the wine was gone, Jesus’ mother said to him, “They have no more wine.” 4 “Woman,[a] why do you involve me?” Jesus replied. “My hour has not yet come.” 5 His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.” 6 Nearby stood six stone water jars, the kind used by the Jews for ceremonial washing, each holding from twenty to thirty gallons.[b] 7 Jesus said to the servants, “Fill the jars with water”; so they filled them to the brim. 8 Then he told them, “Now draw some out and take it to the master of the banquet.” They did so, 9 and the master of the banquet tasted the water that had been turned into wine. He did not realize where it had come from, though the servants who had drawn the water knew. Then he called the bridegroom aside 10 and said, “Everyone brings out the choice wine first and then the cheaper wine after the guests have had too much to drink; but you have saved the best till now.” 11 What Jesus did here in Cana of Galilee was the first of the signs through which he revealed his glory; and his disciples believed in him. 12 After this he went down to Capernaum with his mother and brothers and his disciples. There they stayed for a few days. 13 When it was almost time for the Jewish Passover, Jesus went up to Jerusalem. 14 In the temple courts he found people selling cattle, sheep and doves, and others sitting at tables exchanging money. 15 So he made a whip out of cords, and drove all from the temple courts, both sheep and cattle; he scattered the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables. 16 To those who sold doves he said, “Get these out of here! Stop turning my Father’s house into a market!” 17 His disciples remembered that it is written: “Zeal for your house will consume me.”[c] 18 The Jews then responded to him, “What sign can you show us to prove your authority to do all this?” 19 Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days.” 20 They replied, “It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and you are going to raise it in three days?” 21 But the temple he had spoken of was his body. 22 After he was raised from the dead, his disciples recalled what he had said. Then they believed the scripture and the words that Jesus had spoken. 23 Now while he was in Jerusalem at the Passover Festival, many people saw the signs he was performing and believed in his name.[d] 24 But Jesus would not entrust himself to them, for he knew all people. 25 He did not need any testimony about mankind, for he knew what was in each person.

In the market there is room for deceit and falsehood. And people justify this deceit and falsehood on the basis that it is business. They flatter themselves. No!… The temple is a house of prayer! Are our temples/churches not experiencing this deceit and falsehood often backed up with biblical verses and citations, today?

In the same way, our body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, so how can we flatter ourselves into pleasures of the flesh? All forms of deceit is a dangerous walk into darkness and self destruction. Our body is a house of prayer… let the light of God shine in us and through us. Let us create a lighting experience. Then we can carry this light into the world; our family, work and social environment.

One way of creating this lighting experience is by seeking the good of others. This lighting experience we see in the person of Mary the mother of Jesus. At the wedding in Cana in Galilee, she seeks the good of the couple. She sees the looming embarrassment at the wedding and intercedes for the couple. Anytime we seek the good of others we are drawing light into their lives. Even in our social environment the light of God is needed.

Another way she shares a lighting experience is by directing people to Jesus. Teaching them to obey the Master – She teaches us to have absolute faith in Jesus! “Do whatever he tells You.”

“Do Whatever He tells You”

John 2:5

Are You Doing Whatever the Lord Tells You?

It is sad that these days that some churches have become market places. Leader of some churches deceive the people, they do not look out for the good of the people but rather in profiting themselves. They even find it difficult to lead the people to Jesus. They lead the congregation to themselves as the Pastor or Leader of the flock and the solver of all their problems. They flatter themselves! Lord have mercy on us all.

Yes we seek your light oh Lord! For Psalm 36 reminds us that in God we see light. “For with you is the fountain of life; in your light we see light.” We must be careful of all temples, churches and religious gathering. As our our body (Temple of the Holy Spirit) can be corrupted, so also can these physical temples. Note that Jesus did not condemn the Temple but the action of the persons trading in the temple.

As Jesus got rid of all that corrupted the temple, so we must rid ourselves of all that would corrupt our temples. When we rid ourselves of corruption, we must then focus on God and he would receive us. For God’s love reaches the heaven and is available to all people and animals, not to talk of those who know him and desire his righteousness.

We must desire God’s righteousness, not ours! In God’s righteousness his mercy, grace and love abounds in us. And in God’s righteousness is his Lighting experience. Let this light shine in you.

Join us tomorrow, 3rd February for Lighting Experience – Day 3

Speechlesswaters

TOTUS TUUS

We are your inheritance, Oh Lord!