My Daily Pause

There is only one correct path

Doing what is right is the way to life, but there is another way that leads to death. – Proverbs 12:28 NCV

If there is a way to restate this verse to make it more understandable, I’m not sure what it would be.

Jesus spent his life as a living example of the right way:

• He is the way
• He is the truth
• and none of us will get to the Father except through Him (John 14:6).

Couple that with:

• There is only one God (Ephesians 4:4-6)

When we come to the fork in the road, best to check the directions God gave us.

Let your light so shine …

John 1:1-14 is one gorgeous passage.

Go ahead and read it. I’ll wait.

One awesome thing about being in Christ is that we also get be a light to others. Christ told us to use that light to glorify God and not hide it. (Matthew 5:14-16)

Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify the father which is in heaven. – Matthew 5:16

Think about that today as you go about your business. Whatever it is you do, do it to glorify God.

When our light shines in a dark world we become very conspicuous!

I love the Bible’s light metaphor!

• Jesus said he is the light (John 8:12, 9:39)
• Jesus called his disciples (us) the light of the world (Matthew 5:14)
• Paul called us children of light (1 Thessalonians 5:5)
• John said “God is Light” (1 John 1:5)
• And the light is the only place to have fellowship with God (1 John 1:6-7)

When we consider that living like a Christian makes us conspicuous, we begin to understand the point Jesus was making about the lamp in Luke 8:16-17.

Jesus didn’t come to bring his gospel (literally, his good news) to us to have it hidden away. He has told us that would be as useful has lighting the underneath of our bed with the expectation of being able to see in the rest of the house. (Luke 8:16)

What does that mean for us?

We are expected to do all we can to make sure our light is shining.

• We do this with our lifestyle choices
• We do it with good deeds
• We make sure others are aware of why we do it

And we do this …

… so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven. – Matthew 5:16

What will happen when I do?

One of two things might happen in the course of “shining our light”:

1. We will make others interested in why we are content
2. We will make others find excuses to not be like us

But don’t worry about #2. Jesus expects that and said as much in Luke 8:18.

We don’t even have to force it

It is very difficult to hide light. By simply living in a way that demonstrates that we have Jesus in us, we will find those who also want to be “in the light.” When that happens, we get to tell them more about Jesus. Once we have done our part, God takes care of the rest! (cf. 1 Corinthians 3:6)

In Jesus’ conversation with Nicodemus, he pronounce a judgment on those who choose not to believe and obey. Jesus brought the light into the world,

…and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. – John 3:19

Those who work hard to do what is right are often scoffed at or teased or otherwise discouraged from trying to improve. This isn’t just Bible things we are talking about – we also see it with those trying to be financially responsible and even those that want to build their own business rather than work for a company.

The light is where safety and goodness live

It is human nature to not want someone else to expose our shortcomings, but what Jesus describes in John 3:19-21 is a warning of the ultimate shortcoming. As we continue to grow and mature in Christ we need to be strong enough to bring others with us and not let ourselves be influenced by them.

From personal observation, the places we have to be careful when we expose ourselves in the light are things like:

• Someone calling us a “legalist” when we are simply trying to obey God’s word
• Someone trying to cast doubt on the Bible because it is “written” by men
• Someone trying to change our views because it doesn’t agree with the popular opinion

These are very persuasive arguments that cause many to change their opinion without consulting their Bible. The metaphor of the light is spot on in how the world reacts to exposure to God’s word. They refuse to examine themselves and refuse to grow.

God loved us enough to send his son, (John 3:16) let’s return the favor by doing what is true (John 3:21)

Daily Bible reading for November 7

Psalm 98
2 Kings 6:24-7:20
Zechariah 11
John 3:22-36

Previously, we considered our knowledge of the Scriptures being needed to approach God. Peter shows us the kind of people we need to be generally, (2 Peter 1:5-7) but he was also preparing his readers to be aware of false prophets. He referred us to our Bibles as a source of light.

Our Source of Light

The Word is a beacon of light

When one enters a room that is totally dark, the smallest point of light is almost blinding. When our sailors are at sea, they are not allow to have any white light topside after dusk. Did you know the flash of a cigarette lighter can be seen for miles over the darkness of the sea?

Peter wants you to know the word is like that. (2 Peter 1:19) In order to make a good defense against what is to come, we have to pay attention to the scriptures just like a flash of light.

Our understanding

We cannot leave the understanding to others and expect them to help us. We rarely have the luxury of their availability when we stumble into an opportunity to teach or defend the word. Indeed, the apostles expected us to understand what they wrote. (Ephesians 3:4, 1 Thessalonians 5:27, 1 John 2:12-13)

Even Jesus expected one questioning him to have understood the Scriptures. (Luke 10:26) So how do we get there?

• We study (2 Timothy 2:15 KJV)
• We teach (2 Timothy 2:2)
• We listen to other teachers (Acts 8:30-31)

2 Peter 1:12-21 mentions God, Jesus, The Holy Spirit and the prophets all in that short paragraph. What better source of light and knowledge than that which was endorsed and proven by these?

Daily Bible reading for August 27

Psalm 25
1 Samuel 14
Lamentations 5
2 Peter 1:12-21