Connection is reflection: Soul of our soul; Light of our light; Life of our life. God, Your will be done on earth as it is in Heaven. Christ is vital ~ to our origination, continuance here and eternity. All are linked together in Him.
So as not to take Him and His presence on earth for granted, we may do well to ponder this question...
What would life be like without Him?
For in Scripture it says: “See, I lay a stone in Zion, a chosen and precious cornerstone, and the one who trusts in him will never be put to shame.” Now to you who believe, this stone is precious.
But to those who do not believe, “The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone…a stone that causes people to stumble and a rock that makes them fall.” They stumble because they disobey the message—which is also what they were destined for.
But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.
Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. – 1 Peter 2:6-9 (New International)
Once you were not a people—merciless, struggling in the dark; but now you are a people:
Mine, full of mercy, coming into the Light.
Do you ever feel alone in your faith? Does it consistently appear you are the only voice of reason in a world gone mad, and that your light is going dim in the struggle? This is a commonplace experience amongst the saints, but it is by design. Before we describe the Light, we will take a moment to describe its opposite.
Evil is utter senselessness. It stirs up anger, chaos and confusion—the Bible calls it darkness, and warns of its danger. “Outer darkness” (exoteros skotos) is a realm of hell for those who choose to be expelled from the reach of God’s light—a place powered solely by rebellion, “rendering men bold to commit crimes.”[1] Such actors are lost to their own “ignorance respecting divine things and human duties [in accord with the Divine], and [suffer] the accompanying ungodliness and immorality, together with their consequent misery.”[2]
However, God separates darkness from light, often during upheavals and various conflicts. War is a heightened test of loyalty. In Leviticus 20:26 (King James), God says:
And ye shall be holy unto me: for I the LORD am holy, and have severed you from other people, that ye should be mine.
A painful process, but necessary for those who wish to 1) be protected and 2) to truly live.
Often we are "thrust out" so that we
wholeheartedly choose to follow God.
Even when consecrated here, there will be wars and rumors of wars, pestilence, plagues, and the love of the great body will grow cold. Be that as it may, stand apart. Stand strong. Keep the faith. Consecration tests you deeply. It touches everything, but keep YOUR faith intact—it is a private and precious thing between you and God—rare, and valued above diamonds and pearls, and He will orchestrate who, in the darkness that surrounds you, gains their life by it. Remember the events when Jesus was born and do not shrink away or discard the private moments, where everything is changed...
That single star in the Bethlehem night-sky over the manger
is a sign unto you—the Prince of Peace.
Light shines its brightest as an oddity,
standing off and alone, rather distant—
you have been set apart in your faith to really shine.
So go ahead and do it.
In Spurgeon’s Morning and Evening, March 1 (evening),[3] he highlights three words from our opening passage from first Peter, “He is precious,” referring to the One and Only Jesus Christ—the Morning Star. Spurgeon's full writing can be found at the link provided in the reference section below, but in essence, he goes on to say many beautiful and thought-provoking things in his musings, a few of which I will repeat here (some paraphrased):
Like every river runs to the sea, every ray of our happiness gravitates toward Christ (from Whom it ultimately came).[4] God's will is a circle.
No one, no matter how intelligent they claim to be, can calculate or estimate the value of “God’s unspeakable gift” in the sending, sacrifice, and resurrection of Christ Jesus.[5]
Christ is essential to human happiness. Without Christ, it is not happiness; it cannot be real satisfaction, nor provide any real security—whatever is gained apart from Christ is easily stolen.[6]
“The sun was shining, but Christ had hidden Himself, and all the world was black.”[7] We all need Christ. The world needs Christ.
“What a howling wilderness is this world without the Lord! If once He hideth Himself from us, withered…[withered, dry, weak, we would be]…[in a place where] the birds suspend their songs…[and] a tempest overturns our hopes.”[8]
Take a moment to consider: What would you do in a world without Jesus? In the morning, how would you face your battles without Him? Why would you bother? And what would you do each night, when you come home “jaded and weary” from the ways of the world “if there were no door of fellowship between thee and Christ?” [9]
“Blessed be His name, He will not suffer us to try our lot without Him, for Jesus never forsakes His own. Yet, let the thought of what life would be without Him enhance His preciousness.”[10]
Let me take liberty to add to the second point above that we, as Christians, will be sent, sacrificed and brought to life again, learning of Christ. We innately know Heaven will be 1) fully in the Presence of God 2) to do those works of God for which we were destined to accomplish from the beginning, in Christ. That is not to say that we do not begin them here—we are to, and it is imperative to the Kingdom of Heaven that we do. However, who can be in the Presence of God for very long without insisting upon a shore to run or souls to save or an epic Book of Revelation to read through? God is actionable. He instills an endless, eternal desire in us to be, and do things, with Him. If God’s mind is infinite, so are our assignments. Could you imagine doing the things of God without evil to hinder you in their doing? Suffice it to say for now, we will, not one of us, be bored in the Presence of God. Just look at His imagination and how high, how low, how wide, how deep, His thoughts go.
On point three: You may look to the world’s rich and unsaved, who are miserable, as a testament. The higher one goes in the world, the more superficial the relationships are, unless they be founded on God in the first place. If you were nearly in Heaven, and you slid back down the ladder, do not fear. Climb it again, but consult God on each rung this time.
While point four says it all, let me also suggest that Christ is a Gentleman. He waits at the door and knocks (light is on His side of the door). However, no one knows the hour He will return—with a force such as the world has not seen. As with any gentleman with a good and true heart, commissioned by God for the highest of all acts, with a desire to love without end, nothing will stop Him from fulfilling His destined purpose—it isn’t over. Christ is not done. Being resurrected was only part of all the things Christ is assigned.
When the world goes black,
it is because the world has shut the door
to its God.
...That is an ignorant, selfish, exceedingly expensive thing to do, which is paid for in human blood—no matter how innocent, it cannot cover the debt Christ already paid. Evil is such a waste of life—unnecessary under the banner of Christ’s blood. In consideration of current events or an evaluation of world history, we may ask the question, "What causes war?" The answer is sin. What causes plagues? Sin. What causes riots and a lack of order? Sin. Remember, consecration is also for protection. We must take care when laws are twisted to allow for such things as abortion and infanticide in a country founded upon the Bible.[11] America, be wise—you are the last of your kind—a nation openly professed to be Biblically founded: exactly why America has also been free and so blessed.[12] There is no other reason. In other words, if you (people and nations) want left alone by God, may God have mercy on your soul—singularly and collectively. You will need Him somewhere in the midst of all your darkness. Darkness (by design) turns on the one who ignorantly invites it in and engulfs them. “Since the bright and morning star was gone, no other star could yield you so much as a [single] ray of light.” If the city shining on the hill goes dim, the rest of the world has no Christian charity and no human help—no one to intervene.
Christ = Compassion and Light.
On point five, when the Son turns away from those He died for, with a downcast gaze, glazed over eyes, and curved shoulders, it is a pity reserved only for those who deny Him.
He wants to give, to bless, to enter, to be wanted,
to turn toward you and make His face to shine
upon you and be good to you.
...Then the fruit comes into the fields: “love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control—[and] against such things there is no law” that can bring a charge—no eternal, negative consequence. (Galatians 5:22-23). You are free to run your shore unto the Lord, unhindered. These fruit of the Holy Spirit of God are reserved for the least of these, including babies just put together by God with no name. God has them named—each one. If you were God, what would you do with the sudden influx of the unborns entering Heaven by the millions (62 million est. since 1973)?[13] “From where have all of these spiritual children come?” the Lord asks the desolate woman in a world turned upside down, running contrary to God’s law (Isaiah 49:21, AMPC). What does one (say, abortion) have to do with the other (pestilence and war)? One thing: The wages of sin is death. Remember how small the world is in God's palm; it is all connected.
What happens in the dark
will be exposed in the Light.
There is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed, or hidden that will not be made known. What you have said in the dark will be heard in the daylight, and what you have whispered in the ear in the inner rooms will be proclaimed from the roofs. – Luke 12:2-3 (NIV)
God knows. So, how does a prophet speak in these cold, dark days when the people ask, “What is happening?” but cannot take the time to listen to the things of God? Spurgeon puts it the page before, in the morning:[14]
“Awake, O north wind and come thou south; blow upon my garden, that the spices thereof may flow out.” - 1 Song of Solomon 4:16
God promises He will do it.
He will cause forces to elevate the voices of His chosen,
set apart people.
He will get His message through.
It will happen at just the right time.
Just because the world seems dark, please know you are not the only believer. You are merely isolated in the midst of a tempest war—north, south; cold, hot; dark, light—so that your message would be bright. Original. Unique. Refined. Crystal clear. Untainted and unstoppable. The world, in all its intelligent ignorance, could never, not with “all the earth’s candles…make daylight if the Sun of Righteousness be eclipsed.” He was not born to be eclipsed. He was born to Shine. Stones were meant to roll away from tombs and reveal the truth of what was once hidden in the dark and brought into eternal Light.
As a follower, as His chosen,
you will come out, too.
Roll away the stones of offense and let the Light of God enter into this place. As Spurgeon states, “Let the thought of what life would be without Him enhance His preciousness.” Meditate on that. Cease complaining and start praising and thanking God that He is. That His Son is. And that you are here, ready and willing to make a difference. There is no value like the value of knowing Christ. Prepare to take your opportunity to broadcast His Name—perhaps those lost to the darkness of the world are ready to hear you now. Remember your compassion as we all started in the dark:
Once you were not a people—
merciless, struggling in the dark;
but now you are a people:
Mine, full of mercy, coming into the Light.
Somehow, through someone, God managed to shine on you and be good to you. For those on the news, for those in the streets, for those silenced, for those who lost a loved one, for those in the grips of war, for those unborn, for those who cannot seem to find the light, and for those in Heaven watching it all, give a care, for God so loved the world that He gave...
Arise [from the depression and prostration in which circumstances have kept you—rise to a new life]! Shine (be radiant with the glory of the Lord), for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you! - Isaiah 60:1 (AMPC)
“He is the soul of our soul, the light of our light, the life of our life.”
Rise and shine.
May God bless you.
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Bible Translations
Scripture quotations taken from the Amplified® Bible (AMPC),
Copyright © 1954, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation
Used by permission. www.lockman.org
New International Version (NIV) Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
References
[1] Thayer’s Greek Lexicon. (n.d.). Strong’s NT 4655: σκότος, σκότου. https://biblehub.com/greek/4655.htm
[2] Ibid.
[3] Spurgeon, C. H. (n.d.) Morning and Evening: March 1. https://www.blueletterbible.org/devotionals/me/view.cfm?Date=03/01&Time=pm
[4] Ibid.
[5] Ibid.
[6] Ibid.
[7] Ibid.
[8] Ibid.
[9] Ibid.
[10] Ibid.
[11] “Since the first settlements in British North America, Christianity and the Bible have had a significant influence on American jurisprudence. This reflects Christianity’s expansive influence on Western legal traditions in general and the English common law in particular. Christianity’s influence on American law was most pronounced in the colonial era, especially in New England’s Puritan commonwealths. Early colonial laws drew extensively from biblical sources, especially Mosaic law as interpreted within the colonists’ theological traditions. Christianity also contributed to an evolving constitutional tradition in the colonies and, later, the newly independent states, culminating in the U.S. Constitution framed in 1787. This is evident in broad principles, such as the separation of powers needed to check the abuse of government powers vested in fallen human actors, as well as in specific provisions such as the Article III, § 3 requirement that convictions for treason be supported by “the testimony of two witnesses” and the Fifth Amendment prohibition on double jeopardy. Although Christianity remained a dominant cultural force well into the nineteenth century and beyond, church-state separationists, secularists, and rationalists increasingly challenged its influence on law. This is seen, for example, in bitter political and legal controversies involving the Sunday mails, blasphemy laws, and the Bible’s invocation as authority in judicial proceedings. These disputes signaled Christianity’s declining influence in an increasingly secular age.” Dreisbach, D. L. (eds. Dreisbach, D. L. & Hall, M.D.). (2019). Introduction: Christianity and American Law. Cambridge University Press. https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/abs/great-christian-jurists-in-american-history/introduction-christianity-and-american-law/5AEA44725A0B80CCAD5DDD2252D8148E
[12] “Another way of looking at the distribution of Christians around the world is by region. Numerically, at least, Europe no longer dominates global Christianity the way it did 100 years ago. Rather, the bulk of Christians are in: The Americas. Of the world’s five major geographic regions, the Americas have both the largest number and the highest proportion of Christians. More than a third of Christians worldwide (37%) live in the Americas, where nearly nine-in-ten people (86%) are Christian.” Pew Research Center. (2011). Global Christianity – A Report on the Size and Distribution of the World’s Christian Population. https://www.pewforum.org/2011/12/19/global-christianity-exec/
[13] Dorman, S. An estimated 62 million abortions have occurred since Roe v. Wade decision in 1973. https://www.foxnews.com/politics/abortions-since-roe-v-wade
[14] Spurgeon, C. H. (n.d.) Morning and Evening: March 1. https://www.blueletterbible.org/devotionals/me/view.cfm?Date=03/01&Time=am