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A LAMP FOR MY FEET AND A LIGHT FOR MY PATH

Christian Life,

Many of David’s psalms are autobiographical poems set to music. He had so much to record about his life as a child of God that what he experienced became the theme of his songs. Big things, little things, he wrote and sang, all so real in his life, laced with God’s presence and God’s love, so that we can also identify with what he has preserved for us.

One of his great songs, Psalm 119, is an epic poem about the perfection and purpose of God’s law. This Psalm represents, for us, the entirety of the Word of God as the constitution of His kingdom that He has given us to navigate our perilous journey through life.

David makes some simple yet profound statements that set a course and promise assistence on our way to the Father.

Take, for example, verse 105

Psalms 119:105 NLT
[105]”Your word is a lamp to guide my feet and a light for my path.”

I have a headlight that has two functions. It has a strip light that illuminates a broad area of the garden, lighting up what I need to see around me, and a spotlight that shines brightly on a specific area ahead of me.

What an apt illustration of God’s Word!

When we put on the “headlight” of Scripture, we engage God’s Word in our minds to set the direction of our lives. We wear the light that illuminates the area around us and shows us the path among many paths on which we should walk, “a light for my path”.

We are faced with many options and many choices in our daily walk. The path of truth is narrow. Sometimes the path leads us through tricky and dangerous terrain. Our choices range between one way of truth and many devious ways to escape trouble. God’s Word gives clear direction that will keep us on the path. Every other way will lead us into the wilderness.

The strip light reveals not only where the path is that we are following but also the dangerous terrain on either side of the path. We must know the alternatives and their consequences if we are not to walk blindly along an unknown way.

1 John 2:15-17 NLT
[15] “Do not love this world nor the things it offers you, for when you love the world, you do not have the love of the Father in you. [16] For the world offers only a craving for physical pleasure, a craving for everything we see, and pride in our achievements and possessions. These are not from the Father, but are from this world. [17] And this world is fading away, along with everything that people crave. But anyone who does what pleases God will live forever.”

The Word provides both the alternatives and the solution to keep us from wandering mindlessly along the path of life. We must know both our destination and the way to reach it. God’s Word is the road map and the light.

We need the spotlight of the Word to give us direction in the specific details of our daily walk, “a lamp for our feet.”

“Knowing the truth”, said Jesus, if we are His disciples who are determined to follow His teachings, “will set you free.” From what do we need to be free? We need to be free from the sin that trips us up, catches us unawares, and hides along the way to ambush us when we are unwary.

Hebrews 12:1 NLT
[1] “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us.”

We have the light of the Word that shines the spotlight at our feet to keep us from stumbling over the obstacles that lie directly in our path. We have a flesh nature to which we habitually give way if we are caught off guard. Anger, revenge, retaliation, harsh words, judging…these slip out without thinking. We must practise the new nature until its way becomes our spontaneous response. The lamp shining at our feet will clearly show us the ways of the God’s nature at work within us.

Colossians 3:12-15 NLT
[12] “Since God chose you to be the holy people he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. [13] Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others. [14] Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds us all together in perfect harmony. [15] And let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts. For as members of one body you are called to live in peace. And always be thankful.”

The qualities of the Holy Spirit in us do not come automatically. To change the metaphor, Paul said that we must put off the old garments of sinful responses and dress up in the garments of righteousness, responding and doing what is right in each situation, even loving even those who don’t love us.

So, we walk along the path towards God, one step at a time. This is not a Formula 1 rally. This is a slow and steady, lifelong way, from birth to death, towards God. If we are to reach our destination, we must follow the map and let the light guide the path we choose and the lamp guide our footsteps until we reach our journey’s end.

A final word…if we don’t use God’s Word to light our path, nothing else will. Without God’s light to shine on our way, the world is in utter darkness. You see, God is the source of all light.

Psalms 36:9 NLT
[9] “For you are the fountain of life, the light by which we see.”

John 1:4-5, 9 NLT
[4] “The Word gave life to everything that was created, and his life brought light to everyone. [5] The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness can never extinguish it.
[9] The one who is the true light, who gives light to everyone, was coming into the world.”

John 3:18-20 NLT
[18] “There is no judgment against anyone who believes in him. But anyone who does not believe in him has already been judged for not believing in God’s one and only Son. [19] And the judgment is based on this fact: God’s light came into the world, but people loved the darkness more than the light, for their actions were evil. [20] All who do evil hate the light and refuse to go near it for fear their sins will be exposed.”

1 John 1:5-7 NLT
[5]” This is the message we heard from Jesus and now declare to you: God is light, and there is no darkness in him at all. [6] So we are lying if we say we have fellowship with God but go on living in spiritual darkness; we are not practicing the truth. [7] But if we are living in the light, as God is in the light, then we have fellowship with each other, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, cleanses us from all sin.”

Isaiah 50:10-11 NLT
[10] “Who among you fears the Lord and obeys his servant? If you are walking in darkness, without a ray of light, trust in the Lord and rely on your God. [11] But watch out, you who live in your own light and warm yourselves by your own fires. This is the reward you will receive from me: You will soon fall down in great torment.”

John 8:12 NLT
[12]”Jesus spoke to the people once more and said, “I am the light of the world. If you follow me, you won’t have to walk in darkness, because you will have the light that leads to life.”

“And I said to the man who stood at the gate of the year:

‘Give me a light that I may tread safely into the unknown.’

And he replied:

‘Go out into the darkness and put your hand into the Hand of God. That shall be to you better than light and safer than a known way.’

So I went forth, and finding the Hand of God, trod gladly into the night. And He led me towards the hills and the breaking of day in the lone East.”

(The Gate of the Year – Minnie Louise Haskins (1875-1957))

THE GOSPEL OF MARK – WHAT MEASURE DO YOU USE?

Bible Study, , ,

WHAT MEASURE DO YOU USE?

21 He said to them, “Do you bring in a lamp to put it under a bowl or a bed? Instead, don’t you put it on its stand? 22 For whatever is hidden is meant to be disclosed, and whatever is concealed is meant to be brought out into the open. 23 If anyone has ears to hear, let them hear.”

24 “Consider carefully what you hear,” he continued. “With the measure you use, it will be measured to you—and even more. 25 Whoever has will be given more; whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them.” Mark 4:21-25

Reality and truth are not interchangeable but they are aspects of the same thing. Jesus declared Himself to be the truth – He represented the Father and revealed the Father in every facet of His life – His words, His ways, His character, His attitudes, and His interaction with people. He was the true God in a body and living a human life on earth.

He also declared Himself to be light – the Light that came from God into the world to reveal what the Father and the domain of the Father is really like. Light exposes and reveals; light dispels darkness. Where there is no light, darkness is the atmosphere in which everything that is afraid of exposure flourishes.

Therefore, Jesus said that light is meant to be on display, not covered up because if it is hidden, it serves no purpose. To conceal truth is counter-productive. Truth automatically exposes lies and deception. It is not meant to be kept secret but brought out into the open so that everyone can see.

What is the truth that Jesus is constantly revealing? Darkness is about selfishness, greed and wickedness. Light is about righteousness, generosity and unselfish service to others. These are the two opposing forces in the world and they underlie the ongoing power struggle that is tearing the world apart.

Light is the enriching and unifying power of righteousness, doing the right thing in every situation and for every person, no matter what it costs. “Generosity begets generosity”. It’s like ripples in a pond. Generosity is the “pay it forward” principle that has the power to change society. It’s the “creating a current” policy that gets resources moving into areas of need and suffering.

This is reality – living the kingdom way that dispels darkness and exposes God’s character to those who have been deceived by the lies that put us in the centre of our universe and insist that we must be number one.

The truth is that we determine the measure of light or darkness we live in and display to the world. We also determine the outcome of the way we chose to live. Yes, stuff does happen but we alone choose what we do with it. Jesus’ principle is “Walk in the light and let your light shine…”

THE GOSPEL OF LUKE – LIGHT UP YOUR WORLD

Bible Study, ,

LIGHT UP YOUR WORLD

“No one lights a lamp, then hides it in a drawer. It’s put on a lamp stand so those entering the room have light to see where they’re going. Your eye is a lamp, lighting up your whole body. If you live wide-eyed in wonder and belief, your body fills up with light. If you live squinty-eyed in greed and distrust, your body is a dank cellar. Keep your eyes open, your lamp burning, so you don’t get musty and murky. Keep your life a well-lighted room.” Luke 11:33-36.

As a Jew, Jesus would have used the words, ‘light’ and ‘darkness’ from the understanding that they would be interpreted functionally, not literally. The ‘eye’ represented a person’s perspective on life. To have an ‘eye of light’ indicated that the person had a heart that was one (echad) with God with an unselfish and generous disposition. To have a dark or evil eye meant that the person was selfish and greedy, unable to see beyond his own nose.

People who believe that Jesus is the Son of God and have responded to His invitation to take His yoke, follow and learn from Him, have been relocated from the dominion of darkness into the kingdom of light. They have had a change of master and a change of disposition. They are no longer ruled by greed. They have become generous givers, not only of their resources but also in attitude towards other people.

Jesus used this as the test of a person’s true response to Him. When Zaccheus received Him into his home and into his life, his first action was to overturn his old life by being generous to the poor and by making restitution for his dishonesty. This, to Jesus, was evidence of a truly changed life.

This kind of life cannot be lived in secret. Just as there is not value in putting a light under a bed, a changed and generous disposition is intended to be a witness to God’s grace in a life, setting the person free from the greed that brings judgment and replacing it with the joy of giving.

In his letter, James made a case for the futility of faith without good works. Good works in themselves cannot save, firstly because anything ‘good’ we try to do comes from polluted hearts, and secondly, because God is not impressed by our best self-effort. But when our sins have been removed and our hearts changed by God’s power, we are free to express the new life in us by a changed attitude to other people. We can now see them through God’s eyes and feel their need in our hearts.

God’s way of involving us in His government of mercy is to meet the needs of others through us. He provides for us through others so that, in turn, we can give away to those in need. In this way we create a current of resources which keeps circulating as long as we keep giving. What we hoard stops the flow of that current and shuts down the joy that comes from doing life God’s way. ‘Keep the current flowing,’ said Jesus, ‘and your life will be lit up with God’s presence and joy.’

THE GOSPEL OF LUKE- KEEP IT CIRCULATING

Bible Study, ,

KEEP IT CIRCULATING

“‘No one lights a lamp and then covers it with a washtub or shoves it under the bed. No, you set it up on a lamp stand so those who enter the room can see their way. We’re not keeping secrets; we’re telling them. We’re not hiding things; we’re bringing everything out into the open. So be careful that you don’t become misers of what you hear. Generosity begets generosity. Stinginess impoverishes.'” Luke 8:16-18.

Come on, Jesus! What are you getting at?

He had a lot to say about the Pharisees who paraded their “righteousness” for the crowd’s approval. Yet He told His disciples not to cover up their light but to display it. What are you supposed to do, to let people see how generous you are, or hide you good deed so that the left hand does not know what the right hand is doing?

The answer is “Yes”. It all depends on motive. The scribes and Pharisees used their “generosity” to show how religious they were. They wanted people to admire them for their rigid obedience to the Law, but it was all on the outside. Inside they were greedy, stingy and crooked. They used every opportunity to make money out of the common people.

Jesus exposed their sickness when He threw the merchants and money changers out of the temple. They were using the Passover to extort money from the worshippers through crooked deals. The unsuspecting people were being charged exorbitant rates to exchange their ordinary money into temple money to buy their lambs for the sacrifice. Those who brought their own lambs had to surrender them because they had “blemishes”, which were promptly sold to the next family as “unblemished”.

Their so-called generosity was nothing but window-dressing and a cover-up for their evil hearts. It’s no wonder Jesus ruthlessly exposed their hypocrisy. He wanted the people to see them for what they were and not be taken in by their unashamed falseness,

But that does not cancel out the outcome of true generosity. On another occasion Jesus urged His disciples to let their light shine before men. This is the ultimate purpose for which we were created. Like the moon, we are to shine with the reflected light of the Son.

When Jesus shines His light into our hearts, transforming us from selfish and self-centred people into those who focus on serving and meeting the needs of others, we reveal to the world around us in earthly terms, what the heart of our God is like. He is kind and generous to all, even those who would not give Him the time of the day. The creation is a reflection of His generosity and so should we be.

God’s gifts to us, including our knowledge of Him, are intended to be stewarded, not hoarded. Every time we hoard what God intends for us to share, we are like the person who switches on a light and then covers it with a blanket so that it serves no purpose. No sane thinking person would do that, and yet we treat God’s gifts like that. It makes no sense, does it?

In God’s way of doing things, the more we give away the more we make room to receive. The more we hoard the poorer we become inside. God’s resources are meant to be circulated. Water remains fresh when it flows. A stagnant pool becomes undrinkable because all kinds of unsavoury creatures breed in it.

With the right motive, we can draw attention to God’s glory and not our own. It all depends on whether God’s light is in our hearts or not. If He “who said, ‘Let light shine out of darkness,’ made His light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory displayed in the face of Christ” – 2 Corinthians 4:6 – has shone in our hearts, then the motive of our shining will be to reflect the glory back on Him.

The Peril Of Hearing

Christian Life, , , ,

THE PERIL OF HEARING

He said to them, ‘Do you bring in a lamp to put it under a bowl or a bed? Instead, don’t you put it on its stand? For whatever is hidden is meant to be disclosed, and whatever is concealed is meant to be brought out into the open. If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear.’ (Mark 4: 21-23)

How does this statement fit in with the parable of the four soils and its explanation? I think Jesus was talking about Himself. He was revealing His reason for this teaching. We have already explored the meaning of being “the light of the world”. We learned from the Tanakh – the Old Testament – that “light” often refers to the Word of God.

Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path. (Psa. 119: 105)

When Jesus described Himself as the “light of the world” He was calling people to follow Him because He walked in the light of God’s Word (John 8: 12). He came into the world to be the light – to show people how to interpret and live by the Word of God. Of what good would it be, then, to be in the world as a light but to put the lamp under a “bowl” or a bed where its light would not shine in the room? It was His responsibility to shine the light by both living and teaching the Word of God so that what was hidden in people’s hearts would be exposed.

In Him was life, and that life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it. (John 1: 4-5)

Every time He told a story, people would either react or respond to it according to what was in their hearts. This was His purpose so that no one would be able to hide behind the excuse that they did not know.

This is where we come to the importance of the disciple’s response. Why did Jesus teach in parables? He told them why.

The secret of the kingdom of God has been given to you. But to those outside everything is said in parables. (Mark. 4: 11)

Jesus taught in parables to differentiate between those who sincerely chose to follow Him and those who were in it for what they could get out of it. The very parables He taught would either harden or soften their hearts according to their choices.

But with His teaching comes a warning. Even from those who wanted to follow Him, there were degrees of response. Some would follow with their whole hearts and unreserved obedience while others would follow guardedly and with reservations, picking and choosing what they wanted to obey.

‘Consider carefully what you hear,’ He continued. ‘With the measure you use it will be measured to you – and even more. Whoever has will be given more; whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him.’ (Mark 4: 24-25)

Jesus warned that the measure with which they responded would be the measure of what they received. Those who responded to His teaching and obeyed it wholeheartedly would receive more. Those who did not give Him wholehearted allegiance and obedience would lose what little they had. Once again the measure of the truth they received and the measure of their fruitfulness depended not on God but on them.

He had already made it clear to His disciples that the ones “on the outside” would be taught in parables to confirm where they already were in their unresponsiveness and unbelief. Now He fine-tuned it even further. Through their choices, according to the interpretation of the parable, they had already forfeited the opportunity of receiving Him as their Messiah because they had refused to receive and walk in the light of the Word. His disciples, likewise, would receive light – enlightenment – according to the measure with which they received the Word.

Judas, for example, was one of the disciples – on the “inside” as compared with those “on the outside” and yet, in the end, he was worse than those on the outside. Even from his privileged position as a chosen disciple of Jesus, he had received nothing and lost everything. He was there at that moment, hearing the parable and its explanation and the exhortation, and receiving the warning. But, like the path where the seed fell and was snatched away, he heard nothing; or like the stony ground, there was no root, or even like the thorny soil, what little response there was, was choked by the thorns that were already growing there.

How, then, did Jesus expect His talmidim to respond? Everything He was to them, everything He had taught them and trained them to do moved them towards this moment. They would determine the measure of truth they would receive and the measure of their fruitfulness. Whether they gained more or lost what they had, whether they were abundantly fruitful in their lives or pathetically unfruitful depended entirely on them.

Jesus promised them the priceless gift of the Holy Spirit – the same Spirit who accompanied Him on His journey to the cross. The same power that enabled Him to live a sinless life, to die as an atoning sacrifice for the sin of the world and to rise from the dead would be in them to enforce what they believed. Theirs was the choice. Would they hear or would they refuse to hear?

Everything grows from a seed. God’s word is a seed. In it is the potential for abundant fruitfulness. There is nothing to restrict its growth except the condition of the heart. In every disciple’s heart there is the potential to ignore or reject the Word where there are areas of hardness and unbelief, or shallow soil where the roots cannot penetrate, or even thorny ground where our hearts are split by all-consuming concerns or desires. It is up to us to choose the measure of our response and the measure of what we gain or lose.

Scripture is taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

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