A Light has Shined - June 9th, 2011

"The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in the land of the shadow of death, upon them a light has shined. You have multiplied the nation and increased its joy; They rejoice before you according to the joy of harvest, as men rejoice when they divide the spoil."

Isaiah 9:2-3

History and Context:
For a short history on the book of Isaiah you can refer to my post from yesterday Fear of Man. As mentioned in that post, Isaiah is known as the Old Testament prophet with the most Messianic prophecies. This passage comes out of one of those prophecies. In fact in Isaiah 9:6 we have one of the most commonly quoted during Christmas - "For unto us a child is born ..." This means that when taken in context this light is the same light that John talked about in John 1:7-9. "The true light which gives light to every man coming into the world."

The Text:

 This text is of course speaking about the people of Israel. How they have walked in darkness but the light (the Messiah) is coming. The word Messiah, in ancient Hebrew, simply meant Deliverer. So when the prophets prophesied a Messiah coming they were prophesying someone that would come and deliver them from their oppressors. We see throughout the Gospels that there was some misunderstanding of what these prophecies meant exactly. They were expecting a physical deliverer, but God sent them a, much more needed, spiritual Deliverer in Himself. He "multiplied the nation [Israel = God's people] and increased it's joy" without directly delivering them from their physical oppressors, the Romans.

The Challenge:

Do you feel like you're in the shadow of death? Do you feel like you are walking in darkness? King David said "Yea though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death I fear no evil, for thou art with me, thy rod and thy staff they comfort me..." (Psalm 23) If you feel you are in the 'shadow of death' then it means you need to recognize Christ. If you feel you are surrounded by darkness then you must recognize the light. Sometimes it seems that preachers continually preach about how dark our nation is. But has the Light come? Yes! The Light has come and He is still here, in each one of us! We just need to recognize Him, and begin to follow Him. We Christians have seen a great light! We have seen the Savior! We have seen our Lord! It's time to stop walking in darkness and walk in the light. Feel free to share how you saw the light of Christ in your day today.

The Prayer:

Lord, I thank you that you have sent us this 'great light'. This light that has allowed to no longer walk in darkness. Help us to recognize you in our day today. Help us to see your light in our lives and to follow that light. Help us to also share that light with those around us. Thank you Lord for going with us and for hearing our prayers. Amen!

Fear of Man - June 8th, 2011

 “I, even I, am He who comforts you. Who are you that you should be afraid of a man who will die, And of the son of a man who will be made like grass? And you forget the LORD your Maker, Who stretched out the heavens and laid the foundations of the earth; You have feared continually every day because of the fury of the oppressor, when he has prepared to destroy. And where is the fury of the oppressor? The captive exile hastens, that he may be loosed, that he should not die in the pit, and that his bread should not fail. But I am the LORD your God, who divided the sea whose waves roared— The LORD of hosts is His name. And I have put My words in your mouth; I have covered you with the shadow of My hand, That I may plant the heavens, lay the foundations of the earth, And say to Zion, ‘You are My people.’”

Isaiah 51:12-16

History and Context:

Isaiah is the prophet most quoted by Jesus and by the New Testament authors. There are many Messianic prophecies throughout Isaiah, but the real purpose of the book was to admonish the kings of Judah to rely on the potection of God. Isaiah's ministry focused on the reign of two different kings, Ahaz and Hezekiah. Ahaz did not listen to Isaiah and relied on the protection of Assyria rather than God's protection. Hezekiah also didn't listen at first but as things went bad he turned to God for protection and God rescued the kingdom of Judah. Isaiah continually refers to God as "The Holy One of Israel". This phrase is repeated 26 times in the book of Isaiah and only 6 times in the rest of the Old Testament.

The Text:

God is challenging the people to trust Him. He says, "Why are you afraid of a man who will die?" This passage beautifully puts into words the absurdity of fearing mankind when God is on our side. God reminds us of who He is. He is the one that created the universe, who "stretched out the heavens and laid the foundations of the earth" and He has covered you, and you are afraid of a man? Of course this was spoken to Israel at the time, but we are now the ones that God wants to call "His people". We are now the ones that He wants to cover.

The Challenge:

Simply remember today that God has "covered you with the shadow of His hand". He is there with you! He is on your side! What can man do to you? Be encouraged, be courageous, follow what He has put in your heart, and don't be held back by the fear of man. Is God leading you to speak to someon about Him? Is there a problem that needs addressed at your workplace and no one seems to be addressing it? Is there something that has been on your heart to do for years but you're afraid of what people will think? Then do it! And again, if you want to share a testimony of stepping out against your fear of man, I would love to hear it! I'm sure my readers would love to as well. It's always encouraging to hear of someone else's success.

The Prayer:

Lord, you are the creator of the universe! You are the Holy One of Israel! You are the Amighty One! I pray that I will trust in you, in all that I do today. Help me to not let the fear of man hold me back from your will for my life. Help me to remember constantly that you are on my side. I love you Lord! Thank you! Amen.

Stand Fast in the Lord! - June 7th, 2011

 ¹ Therefore, my beloved and longed-for brethren, my joy and crown, so stand fast in the Lord, beloved. ² I implore Euodia and I implore Syntyche to be of the same mind in the Lord. ³ And I urge you also, true companion, help these women who labored with me in the gospel, with Clement also, and the rest of my fellow workers, whose names are in the Book of Life.
⁴ Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice!
⁵ Let your gentleness be known to all men. The Lord is at hand.
⁶ Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; ⁷ and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

Philippians 4:1-6 (emphasis added)

History and Context:

These scriptures are how Paul begins to finish his letter to the church in Phillipi. The church in Phillipi was one of the first churches in Europe. This means these are some of the first believers in what we now know as the "Western World". He visited them around 49-50 AD and then at least two more times after that in 56 and 57 AD. One of the first Christians in Phillipi was the jailer who was assigned to guard Paul and Silas (and the other prisoners) when they were thrown in prison. God used an earthquake to set them free and to convince this jailer of His reality. (Acts 16:25-34) This letter was written in response to the church sending Epaphroditus to Paul to help him in his time of need.

The Text:

Here, in these verses, we see one of the most complete, yet condensed, descriptions of how to live as Christians. He begins with a general statement to Stand fast in the Lord but then describes what that looks like:

    1) Help those who labor in the Gospel

    2) Rejoice in the Lord always

    3) Be gentle to the point that you are known for it

    4) Don't be anxious 

    5) Pray and Intercede

    6) Give thanks

    7) Make your requests known to God

    8) Let the peace of God guard your heart and mind

How many of us are doing these things? If each individual in the church would follow these eight simple points, how different do you think the church, and in response the world, would be? But instead we see the church fillled with people who fight each other, grieve continually, are fierce in gossip, continually worry, don't pray, always complain, and then they wonder why they don't feel the peace of God in their lives.

The Challenge:

When you look at this list you probably see a few of them that you can honestly say you are good at, but you probably also see at least one or two which you are weak in. My challenge to you is not to take the whole list right away, but pick one or two. Look at the list and prayerfully consider which point you need the most work on and focus on that point today. For example, if you realize that you are always complaining, make it a point today to find things that you are thankful for. I can guarantee you that they are all around you. But maybe it's not that one. Maybe God is challenging to find someone that is laboring who you can support and help. Only you can say which one you need to work on. Then if you want to share a testimony of how today was different because of focusing on that area.

The Prayer:

Lord, we want to learn how to stand fast in you. We want to learn what it really means to live for you. Help us note those areas in our lives in which we are not truly living for you and help us to make them right. Help us to glorify you today in our words, our actions, and even in our thoughts.