Daily Light - September 28, 2010

Daily Light from the Lighthouse

"As far as the east is from the west,

so far has He removed our transgressions from us."

Psalm 103:12

Guilt. Shame. They eat away at people's lives like an incurable disease. More people suffer from guilt and shame than any ailment that is known to man. Why? The simple answer is that sin brings shame with it. From the very first act of sin in the Garden of Eden, we see man running to hide because of his guilt. It has been this way ever since. Most have wrongfully concluded that if they can hide it from man then it can be hidden from God. However, we must remember that the eyes of the Lord see throughout the whole earth beholding the evil and the good. There is nothing that escapes His knowledge.
Consider though what happens when Jesus steps on to the scene of our guilt. 2,000 years ago God sent His only Son to be the atoning sacrifice for the sins of man once and for all. On the cross Jesus took the heavy burden of sin and died in our place. He died for all of those sins that bring such shame and guilt. We did not deserve such mercy, but He gave it freely of His own accord. In the same psalm as above we read, "He has not dealt with us according to our sins, nor punished us according to our iniquities." If God chose to punish each one of us based on our own merit, who could stand before Him? Thankfully those that come and receive the finished work of Jesus on the cross of Calvary as their atonement and accept Him by faith can know forgiveness and ever lasting life.
At the moment of God's forgiveness, our sins are cleansed and removed as far as the east is from the west. The prophet Micah said that He will cast our sins into the depths of the sea. God is not like us. We each have the ability to forgive another individual, but we do not have the ability to forget their transgression against us. God forgives and never again lays that sin to our charge. Most of us carry around the weight of guilt and shame because of our own failings and sinful actions. May I encourage you today to know that if God has forgiven you, let Him also heal you of the shame of those sins. It is important to learn the lessons from our past transgressions, but there is no need to let it weigh us down for the rest of our lives. Thank the Father for His forgiveness, and live the new life that He has prepared for you.
May you know freedom from guilt and shame today!

Daily Light - September 27, 2010

Daily Light from the Lighthouse

"But as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be."

Matthew 24:37

The mystery of Christ's return is probably one of the most encouraging and yet confusing topics for many people. We are encouraged, because we are promised that our Lord and Savior will come to redeem His church and take them to Heaven. There is joy in knowing that this life with its frustrations, schedules, and oppression is not eternal. We will one day step out of the mundane and wicked into the joyful and holy. To consider Christ's return can also be frustrating, because we are eagerly awaiting that day but do not know when it will be. The Bible says that even our bodies groan for redemption, but we must wait. I am sure that patience is not the gift that most of us claim to have.

Having done a recent study of Noah and all that surrounded the great flood, this comparison that Jesus makes of the end times and Noah's day is absolutely perfect. Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord. We as children of God have received grace by God's hand. Noah was told of a day of deliverance. We are told that Christ is coming again for His children. Noah was given instructions on how to serve until that day. We are instructed to work each day for God, because the night is coming when no man can work. Noah believed God in spite of what every one around him thought or said. We live in a world that does not believe that God's Word is true, but that does not change its truth at all. Noah had to wait on the appointed day for the flood. We are waiting for the appointed day of Christ's return.

While we wait, let's be diligent in serving the Lord. There is so much work to be done. Many of us have loved ones that are not prepared for this day. They need to know the joy of a relationship with Christ. Be diligent in your witness to them. Show them that Christ's forgiveness and grace is for all men who will came to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. Let us also be diligent in making sure that we are completely right with a holy God. It is imperative that we have a broken heart over sin and that we do not allow it to have any place in our lives. While we are busy serving, let us be ready to lift up our heads as our redemption draws nigh.

May you be ready for His coming today!

Daily Light - September 24, 2010

Daily Light from the Lighthouse

"And the God of peace will crush Satan under your feet shortly."

Romans 16:20

Deceiver. Manipulator. Liar. Destroyer. There are many other words that could be used to describe Satan. He came to Eve in the Garden with such a soft and cunning voice. He did not want her to think at first that he was opposed to God. He just wanted to make her curious. When he had her attention, he accused God of being what he is: a liar. His MO has not changed since that time. He still tries to convince man that God is not the way, the truth and the life. His sole purpose is to destroy the lives of men, women, boys and girls. Unfortunately, he has won many battles for the souls of some, but it is an irrefutable fact that he will not win the war.
As much as Satan hates mankind, God loves them. God loves them so much that even in the Garden He told Satan that He was going to do what needed to be done to bring mankind back to Himself. In the movie The Passion of the Christ, the opening scene is Jesus praying in the Garden. There is a portrayal of Satan enjoying the agony that Jesus is suffering as He thinks of the cross. The tears and blood are flowing down the face of the actor portraying Jesus. Behind him a serpent is making its way toward him. Suddenly the character portraying Jesus looks up boldly and his foot comes down on the head of the serpent. This is a perfect picture of what was promised to Satan in the Garden of Eden. When Jesus came to this earth 2,000 years ago and died for sin on the cross of Calvary, Satan became a defeated foe. This liar has been crushed by the Truth. This one who brings death was defeated by the Life. "O death, where is your sting? O grave, where is your victory?"
The verse above is an awesome picture in the Word. The God of peace will crush Satan. Our God brings peace in so many ways. Normally when we think of peace, we think of the absence of violence. However, in this case God violently defeats the enemy of all mankind. God is justified in His violent force, because He is God and knows best. He is also justified in His violent force, because His holiness cannot tolerate sin. This enemy has waged war against the very nature of God since Satan tried to take the position of the Most High. In eternity future there will be no enemy to contend with, because Satan will be destroyed completely and wholly. This could only be accomplished by our mighty God who is sufficient to save!
May you live in victory over the enemy today!

Daily Light - September 23, 2010

Daily Light from the Lighthouse

"Who is this King of glory?"

Psalm 24:8, 10

We live today in a world that not only doubts but outright denies the existence of God. I find almost on a daily basis the writings, recordings, and public witness of people who will go so far to deny God that they blaspheme His name. Some treat God as a fictional character and try to bring Him down to the level of simple man. Others mock His very existence and dare Him to judge their blatant sin if He really exists. When I hear these things, I have a righteous anger that courses through my body, but I also have a broken heart for the souls of these individuals.

If you are a believer, I imagine that you share some of my feelings in this area. However, you are just the person that I would like to contend with. While we may believe in God's existence and trust Him by faith for our salvation, we are also guilty at times of making less of Him. For example, I notice that many believers treat God as just a convenience. They only turn to Jesus when they really need Him. When things are difficult, they pray and ask Him where He is, but when things are going well, God is ignored and never spoken to. Many believers live their lives more concerned with what others think about them than God. When they need to make an important decision, God is not their first choice but a last resort. The average believer in America today does not read their Bible on any sort of regular basis. Many treat God like a genie in a bottle. If they have a need, they rub the lamp and ask for their wish to be granted. As soon as everything is okay, they put God back in the bottle until next time. When we consider this, I am not sure that the world is the only group being blasphemous.

The psalmist asked in this triumphal psalm, "Who is this King of glory?" That would be a great question for all of us to ask today. Who is this King to you? Is He a fairy tale, a convenience, or a genie in a bottle? Or, is He the Lord, strong and mighty? If He is, why are you depending on your own strength to live the Christian life? Is He the Lord, mighty in battle? If He is, don't you think that it is time to quit fighting your personal battles on your own and give them to Him? Is He the Lord of hosts? If He is, you are now set free to boldly proclaim Him and His love to this world with no fear of what man can do unto you. Is He the King of glory? If He is, then do not neglect to praise Him each and every day for all you have and all you are in His name. What a joy and privilege it is to say that He is our God and our personal Savior! What a thrill it is to know that He is with me even unto the end! Who is this King of glory? He is my mighty King!

May you give the King glory today!

Daily Light - September 22, 2010

Daily Light from the Lighthouse

"Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits."

Psalm 103:2

Most of us commonly think of God's blessings in the sense of material things. Because we live in a country where we are so full of stuff, it is easy for this to be our main understanding of God's benefits. However, as we begin to examine our lives, we find that God's benefits graciously go beyond the things that we possess. Let's be honest with ourselves when it comes to things. First, those items that we greatly treasure will eventually rust and decay. Why live for things that are simply going to rot? Second, when we make "stuff" our primary desire, we are never satisfied with what we have; we always want more. That is because things will never be able to satisfy the real craving of the soul.

So what does the psalmist say are the benefits of the Lord that reach deep into our hearts? What a list it is! Could I encourage you to read this list and stop after each one and consider what God has done for you? After you read each benefit, thank God in Heaven for supplying the great needs of your spiritual life.

1) He forgives all our iniquities. What a fabulous word that little word "all" is!

2) He heals all our diseases. God has power over every affliction that you will ever face.

3) He redeems your life from destruction. In His grace He took us from hopeless to joy unspeakable!

4) He crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies. It is because of His mercies that we are not consumed; great is His faithfulness.

5) He satisfies your mouth with good things, His love is as sweet and enlightening as honey to a weary soul!

We have so much to praise God for that has absolutely nothing to do with any materialistic possessions. Praise God today for all that He does in your heart and soul. Get your mind off of circumstances and things. Focus on what Christ has done and will do in your life. Sing out loud like the psalmist did: "Bless the Lord, O my soul; and all that is within me, bless His holy name!"

May you live in the joy of His benefits today!

Daily Light - September 21, 2010

Daily Light from the Lighthouse

"The harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few."

Matthew 9:37

My grandfather by his very nature was a farmer. It was in his blood. A couple of times a year we would get to go spend some time with my grandparents, and it did not take long to realize what life was all about. He was either getting the ground ready for the new season, tending to the growing crops, or bringing in the harvest. Sometime during the day he would tune the television in to the Wiregrass Farm Report. Now that is exciting programming in Southeast Alabama! If I was just sitting around the house, my grandmother would put us to work shelling peas or snapping beans. While my grandfather was slaving under the hot sun, my grandmother was usually slaving over the hot stove and getting things ready to be canned and put away. It was all about the harvest.
Looking back I am amazed how much the two of them did all by themselves. They worked tirelessly each and every day with no outside help. They would bring in a plentiful harvest, just the two of them. I think of this when I read the verse above. I also realize that there is not a problem with the harvest. When I have the opportunity to go to foreign countries and see the work that God is doing there, I am always greatly moved by the sincerity of people's faith and the abundant blessing of God's power that I witness. While it is not true in every field, many places are seeing a mighty move of God in their land. Souls are being saved, and lives are literally being changed for the glory of God. When I return and tell of what I have been able to see, many people ask why we are not seeing that here. I believe the answer is very simple. We are not laboring for the harvest as much as others are. There is no problem with God's power; it is still as mighty and effective as always. The harvest is out there, but only a committed few are toiling in the fields.
How do we change this? So many times we are told that it is our lack of witness that is the whole reason for this famine of souls. While that is part of the equation, there is so much more that must be considered. First, each one of us must make an inventory of our own life and make sure that we are completely right with God. Second, we must begin to pray for the power of God to fall on us. To walk out into this world without God's power is spiritual suicide. Third, we must recognize that we are more dependent on God than our methods of evangelism. Fourth, we must make sure that we are preaching a Biblical Gospel of repentance and faith instead of easy believism to pad our numbers. Fifth, we must not let fear or pride cripple the work of evangelizing our communities. Finally, we must witness with God's power and trust Him for the results. The harvest truly is plentiful, but how many of us will be laborers for Christ's sake?
May you be a laborer for God's harvest today!

Daily Light - September 20, 2010

Daily Light from the Lighthouse

"The Lord is near to those who have a broken heart,

and saves such as have a contrite spirit."

Psalm 34:18

"God just wants me to be happy!" This is the calling card of the modern church in America. The average Christian in this country has bought into the lie that God is in Heaven planning and strategizing the best way to make them comfortable and satisfied. The church at Laodicea in Revelation 3 is described as exactly what the church at America is demonstrating. I will grant to you that this is an overview and is not exactly the way each and every Christian or church in America acts. However, for the most part, it would be an accurate description. It would do us good to heed the words of the prophet Amos: "Woe to them that are at ease in Zion!"
I believe that God's greatest desire is to transform His church to be more like Himself. In order to do this we must experience the sufferings of Christ. Suffering has as much to do with the heart as it does the body. While many believers around the world today physically suffer for their faith, God is calling the church in America to experience a suffering heart of anguish. On a scale of 1 to 10 how would you describe how broken your heart is for the things of God? When is the last time that you agonized over unconfessed sin in your life and in the church? How often do you spend long seasons of prayer for those around you who are lost and without Christ?
The psalmist tells us that God is near those who have a broken heart. This word broken literally means shattered into pieces. A broken hearted person's human ideals and perspective have been so dismantled that they can only now turn to Christ. All has fallen apart and having reached the bottom they look up for the will of the Father. If this was not graphic enough, we are told that God delivers those who have a contrite spirit. Contrite means crushed into dust. It is of no value in itself. When I read this, I thought of how God created man from the dust of the ground. He took what was useless, formed it, and breathed life into it. God wants to take believers that will experience the sufferings of Christ so much that their very spirit is crushed into dust and new life is breathed into their spiritual being.
I saw an interview this week with Jim Daly, the president of Focus on the Family. On a recent trip to China he was sitting in the Beijing airport. Some Chinese Christians recognized him and to his surprise told him that they were praying for the church in America. He asked what they were praying about. Their reply came as a shock to him. They said, "We are praying that the American church will experience persecution. You are too soft and comfortable. You need to know Christ more." I have no idea what the future holds, but unless America experiences a Great Awakening within the next two generations, we will greatly regret that we did not seek to be broken hearted before a holy God.
May you live a broken life before God Almighty!