The great philosopher Albus Dumbledore once said, “Happiness can be found in the darkest of times if one only remembers to turn on the light.” Physical light has many useful qualities. It allows us to see clearly the path before us. Objects hidden in darkness no longer impede our progress. Instead, we have the ability to view them and move around them. Light gives warmth. Is it not a splendid sensation to feel the warmth of the sun on one’s face in the midst of a cold winter’s wind? And, light gives life. Children learn in the early stages of grammar school about the process of photosynthesis – whereby, plants utilize light to produce the “fuel” necessary to live. There is, however, an even greater light source.
The spiritual light guiding true believers is found only in God’s word which is Jesus Christ. This spiritual light is eternal and life giving. “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life” (John 8:12). Our lemons, our struggles are ultimately the consequences of a sinful, chaotic world. The light of Jesus Christ brings order to the confusion. In His first recorded act as creator, God literally turned on the light. To see our way through the darkness that so often encroaches upon our lives we too must have light. As the psalmist wrote, “Thy word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path” (119:105). Christians find help and hope in Jesus who is the Light in a world full of darkness. This light shines for us through God’s word and we reap the benefits with diligent and consistent study of the scriptures.
To understand just how important God’s word is, look no further than Psalm 119. This psalm is the longest chapter in the entirety of the scriptures. It’s sole purpose is in extolling the virtues and necessity of God’s word in the lives of believers. Psalm 119 is composed of 176 verses compiled into 22 paragraphs. And, it should be noted that each paragraph begins with one of the 22 letters of the Hebrew alphabet. They appear in order, as we might say, from A to Z.
We cannot know Jesus; we cannot have His light in our lives if we do not turn on the light of His word in our hearts. Moreover, without the light of Christ, we’re adrift in a lost and dying world. Peter writes in II Peter 1:19, “And so we have the prophetic word confirmed, which you do well to heed as a light that shines in a dark place . . .” If we hide the word of the Lord in our hearts, the sufferings and darkness of this world will not overwhelm the light of Christ in our lives.
This weeks topic is definitely apropos. Fear is perhaps the strongest tool in the devil’s arsenal; and the current circumstances under which we are living give us plenty to "fear". The word “fear” appears over 500 times in the King James Version; and the phrase “fear not” is the most uttered command in the scriptures (http://www.soulshepherding.org/2010/07/fear-not-365-days-a-year/). It's certainly natural to be afraid - even under normal circumstance. We contend daily with finances, emotional and physical trauma, concerns about our future and the future of our loved ones. Just to name few. The current Coronavirus pandemic can easily magnify these fears. But where faith begins fear must end. Christ tells us in Matthew 6:25-34, "do not worry". Why? Because worry doesn’t rid us of our lemons; it only robs us of our joy.
Let us consider the example we find in Numbers 13. Here we find Moses and the children of Israel preparing to enter the Promised Land. Before they enter, Moses sent out twelve spies among whom were Joshua and Caleb. Ten spies brought back a negative report causing the children of Israel to become fearful and desirous to go back to Egypt. But, Joshua and Caleb didn’t see the vast armies of the enemy; they didn’t see the giants of the land. They saw the promises and the power of God! We must all recognize that power in our lives.
Paul reminds us that “God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind”(II Timothy 1:7). God, our originator, our creator who made us in His own image has given you and me a spirit of power! By placing our trust in God and His son Jesus, we choose courage over cowardice. We might not understand what God has in store for us or understand the suffering all around us. But, we have a God who is never afraid. We have a God who is never worried.
Over the next several weeks I will be taking the opportunity to post short blogs based on a book I'm writing. The very title of my blog is taken from a post: When Life Gives You Lemons . . . Dig More Wells. The original post was written a number of years ago for a previous blog but I decide to re-post it a few months ago. I invite you to read that post as well, but for now, let's start at the beginning.
From Ancestry to MyHeritage to Geni, the search for one’s genealogy has become a billion dollar industry. Yes, that’s BILLION. While our dot com society has greatly increased access to such information, the desire to understand our origins is not unique to this modern era. Genealogies were once utilized only by royalty or elite ruling classes. Now the everyday man can gain access to tens of thousands of records. What served as a method for establishing pedigree has transformed into a means of determining personal identity. But, how much of who we really are is dependent upon our physical ancestors?
The inspired writers of God's word catalog several family trees. And, the gospel writers Matthew and Luke establish Christ’s royal bloodline through genealogical means. Most of us have heard the phrase “from good stock”. It’s an indication that a person comes from a socially acceptable family tree. If, however, we pause a moment and consider Christ’s family tree, it’s chock full of all kinds of undesirable elements: liars, thieves, adulterers, prostitutes, etc. From Tamar and Judah to Rahab to David and Bathsheba, God takes the broken, the sinners, the downcast; He accomplishes His will through the most unlikely individuals. Christ didn’t come from “good stock”. He was a carpenters’ son from an insignificant town called Nazareth. Born in a stable and laid in a manager, He didn’t enter this world through pomp and circumstance. There was no silver spoon in his mouth. The prophet Isaiah tells us that Christ was not beautiful to behold and that He was despised and rejected. The King of kings had no place to rest His head and was crowned only with thorns.
Satan works against us day by day seeking to separate us from God. But, Paul writes in Romans, “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose” (8:28). Not that all things are good, but that God can take our pains, our sufferings, our lemons and accomplish His will in our lives. When we consider this trend in genealogical research, we must remember that the only identity that matters is the one that comes from being a child of God. Our origins are not tied up in fleshly bloodlines, but in the Spirit of our Almighty creator.
