Lighten Up! – 1 John 1:7

7 But if we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, His Son cleanses us from all sin.

– 1 John 1:7

Lighten Up!

I think we have all heard the expression that we are to be a "light" in this dark world. That we are to let our "lights" shine before men, etc., etc.  While that is so true and the world will be a better place when we all decide to "light" things up, we have to consider what "light" we are talking about.

The scripture tells us that if we walk in the light – as He is in the light . . . then all the other good stuff happens.  So what does that mean?  Well, since God IS light and the scripture tells us that He is also IN the light, then the purity of His light is, was, and always will be un-compromised.  There is no shadow. There is no darkness.  There are no hidden nooks and crannies (I'm not really sure what a "cranny" is but rest assured, God doesn't have any).  He is light within light within light. Turned inside out, He is still light – upside down, 360º, no matter what angle you choose to look, He is out there and available for ALL to see . . L-I-G-H-T.

So . . . how then, can we, with all our nooks, crannies, shadows, faults, secrets, evil and lustful desires, obsessions, anger, bitterness, envy, jealousy, criticism, hatred, habits, addictions, self-loathing, and on-and-on-and-on, be light . . . in its most meager of terms?  I mean, there is now way right?  I don't know about you, but I am so unworthy to be called "light," and on my own, there is no way I can even begin to walk in it, let alone even begin to understand what it is to walk as HE (God) is!  So how then do we do it? How do we fulfill this part of scripture . . . this Promise, in our lives?

The key phrase is . . . and the Blood of Jesus!

The blood that covers us in light, allows us to walk in the light, just as He (God) is Light, is Love, is Peace, is Joy, is Hope, is Forgiveness, is Victory, is Understanding, is Purity.  When we are covered in the blood, the very life source of Jesus, poured out for each one of us, just so we could walk in His light, we begin to see others before ourselves.  We begin to really care for one another, and love one another, and the self-centered, prideful ways that once owned us is chased away like the utter darkness that it is.  When the "light" is switched on, and we walk (live our lives) like we know what that means, THEN we can have true fellowship with one another, AND that same blood of Jesus, keeps us clean from the sin that once ruled over us.

Lets recognize His light by being light today.  Smile at someone; help someone; let someone else be first; give generously to someone; let someone know they are loved today; BE light today. Show the world that the Light of God is pure - that His Love is real, that His Joy can be for them too.  Walk in the light as He is light today and see what it can do to brighten up the world around you.  No matter what it is that you have to go through today – even if the world looks dark and gloomy . . . choose to be the light.  I guarantee that not only will you make a difference,  you will notice a difference in your own life, no matter what it is you are facing.

Prayer

Father, Thank You for reminding me of the purity of Your light. Show me how to be exposed today so that others can see Your light in and through me.  Make me a beacon of Your Love, and Peace, and Joy, and Forgiveness today.

Have a blessed day everyone!

– Richard

True Happiness – Psalm 32:1-2

1 Happy are those whose sins are forgiven, TruHappiness. 
2 Happy is the one whom the Lord does not accuse of doing wrong and who is free from all deceit.
–  Psalm 32:1-2 (Good News Translation)

True Happiness
Have you ever noticed that people who are constantly in turmoil and/or trouble attribute their constant state of woe to not being "happy?"  They are constantly looking for happiness, but they just can't seem to find it!  They go from thing to thing, thinking that the new "thing" is THE thing that will finally bring them the happiness they seek.  The problem is, that soon that "thing" loses its flavor and the temporary excitement of finally finding "it" is replaced by more sadness and depression.  It's a vicious cycle and it is very sad to know that there are so many that seek to be happy by accumulating "things" instead of looking up, and letting go.

You see it's only when we "let go" of our own wants and desires, and we look up and forward to what God wants for us and needs us to do, that we put ourselves in position to realize true happiness.  It is only by coming to the saving Grace of Jesus Christ that we can realize true happiness – anything else is just temporary and meaningless.  The freedom that we can realize when we finally get what living "in" Christ means is the only way to truly live happy and contented lives.  That is not to say that we will never be sad, or experience tragedy or depression . . . it IS to say that when our time of weeping or sadness or depression is over, the joy of the Lord will strengthen us back to a time of peace, and excitement, and yes, happiness.

The Bible tells us that there is a time for everything, and our lives will always experience cycles of opposites.  Highs and lows, light and dark, big and little, alive and dead, sick and well, sad and happy – the time for these is appointed to each one of us, but the one constant, the one truth, the one promise we can hold on to, is our place with Jesus for all eternity. THAT is our source of happiness and nothing the world can throw our way can take it away from us.  

Now, then . . . those of us who have found and accepted that truth, are required to share that hope with those who don't have it yet.  I heard (on the radio I think), someone posing it this way:  If you suddenly found the cure for all cancer, would you not be obligated to share it with the world?  Would you not be excited to share it? We have the cure for death itself!  We have the answer to finding true happiness!  Now WE have to have the boldness to share it. 

Are we sharing the secret to happiness?  Are we making a difference in this world?  Maybe if we spent a little less time feeding our own walk, we could find a little more time to help someone else find the happiness they are so desperately seeking.  I know I am as guilty of this as anyone. It is so much easier to focus on my own need to get as close as I can to Christ, but I need to balance that with feeling the need to share that closeness and His love with those around me.  So that's what I'm working on . . . will you join me? Maybe, just maybe, we can help the world find the true happiness that keeps eluding them.

Prayer
Lord, I thank You for the true happiness that You have given me.  I thank You for  being my source of joy and for making my life wonderful.  I thank You for bringing balance to all my days and for being my life Source.  I pray Lord, that I can be a difference in someones life today and that I can be the light that puts them on the path to finding their own salvation and ultimate happiness.  Forgive my busy-ness in Your name Lord.  In my attempt to serve, I have wound up serving myself, and while I so enjoy growing to know You and learning how to live as a Christian, I realize that I may need to lighten the load I have placed on myself, and focus more on finding the fire that compels me to share Your love and happiness with the rest of the world.  

Have a blessed day everyone!

– Richard

Peaches, Apples, & Grapes – Galatians 5:22-23

22  But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 

23  Gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.

– Galatians 5:22-23

Peaches, Apples, & Grapes

Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness and Self-control – I will do my best to live up to the power of this "fruit" in everything I do today and if I'm successful I will sing praises to God . . . but if I'm not, at the end of the day when I reflect on how things went today, I will still praise God and thank Him for His Grace. Then . . . I will lay my head down and be at peace.

You see the sweetness of this kind of fruit comes from the decisions and the choices that I will make throughout my day.

I choose to Love

– I will love because God is Love and I love Him - I will remind myself of that when criticism rears its ugly head.

I choose to have Joy

– I will invite God into my circumstances and I will choose to see my problems as an opportunity to show everyone how good God is.

I choose Peace

– I will forgive and I will seek forgiveness. I will not let me pride be offended by anything or anyone.

I choose to be Patient

– I will look for opportunities to be 2nd (or 3rd or 4th). I will smile when I am inconvenienced and I will thank God for the opportunity to wait.

I choose to be Kind

– I will think on how good and kind my Lord has been to me and I will do my best to pass that on to others.

I choose to be Good

– I will do the right thing and I will look for opportunities to show the love of Jesus to others.

I choose to be Faithful

– I will keep my promises and I will do my best to make sure that others can trust me - with everything I do.

I choose to be Gentle

– I will not raise my voice today  . . . except to praise my Savior.

I choose Self Control

– I will monitor myself and I will think on God and His love and Grace for me before I make any decision.

I choose to honor my Father today by doing my very best - for Him. My choices and my decisions will reflect who I am - according to His Word.  My actions will show others that I believe what my Father says about me.  And at the end of my day, I will lay me head down in Peace and I will rest in His Grace.

Prayer

Father, I give my day to you and I will make my choices according to who You say I am.  I will be fruitful to the best of my ability. And Lord, I ask for Your guiding hand to help me and to show me if my fruit begins to sour. Let my life reflect who You are so that others are drawn into Your loving arms.

Have a blessed day everyone!

– Richard

Walking the Talk – Titus 2:7-11

7 But mostly, lead by example, incorruptible in your teaching, 
8 your words solid and sane.  Then anyone who is dead set against us, when he finds nothing weird or misguided, might eventually come around. 
9 Guide slaves into being loyal workers, a bonus to their masters - no back talk, 
10 no petty thievery.  Then their good character will shine through their actions, adding luster to the teaching of our Savior God.  
11 God's readiness to give and forgive is now public.  Salvation's available for everyone!
– Titus 2: 7-11 (The Message)

Walking the Talk
I used to hear this all the time when I first became a Christian, "If someone accused you of being a Christian, would there be enough evidence to get a conviction?"  Thank God we don't live in a country where being a Christian will get you killed or thrown in prison.  We do however, live in a society (especially here in California), where being a Christian is unpopular and we are portrayed as being weird, or extreme, and even violent.  We are described as being closed-minded and the news media would have everyone believe that we are all educated in making bombs intended for abortion clinics in our Sunday School classes.  Where did all this misinformation come from?

While there are and always have been those who do horrible things in the name of religion, Jesus was not one of those people.  In fact, because He preached peace, love, and compassion, He was ridiculed by those who were seeking a lion – a warrior savior, and not a lamb that would be led to slaughter.  The good news is that we, through the power of the Holy Spirit, can change people's perception of Christianity if we are willing to put our own agendas aside, and put on Christ. 

By putting on Christ – every morning – we will be empowered to demonstrate great character (even when we think no one is watching), and those who we have influence over (basically everyone we meet), will see the Gospel of Christ lived out as it was intended to be.  Don't be fooled though – it isn't as easy as it sounds.  Old habits and character flaws will need to be identified and worked on.  For example, are you habitually late for work?  Do you like to take longer lunches than you should?  Do you surf the net when you should be working?  How about talking about others behind their back?  Do you smoke?  Drink a little too much?  Does your language need to be cleaned up?  Is unforgiveness keeping you from having meaningful relationships?  How about your taxes – do you report everything truthfully?  In other words, putting on Christ requires taking off the old you – and that will always be a work in progress.

You can do it!  It takes practice and a lot of prayer and it takes a genuine desire to be like Christ.  You will find however, that as you identify and pray through the areas of your life that need work, you will start to look more and more like Jesus, and those around you will start to notice, and they will be attracted to the new you.  They won't be able to find anything weird or misguided in you and they will eventually come around to a place where accepting Christ is definitely a possibility.

Prayer
Lord, You are a God of salvation and Your desire is for everyone to come to know You.  Help me to be a good example of the Gospel and how great a life in Christ can be.  Help me to get rid of the old habits and character flaws that might prevent others from knowing you.  Help me to identify those areas in my life that contradict Your very nature so that there can be no question that I serve only You.  I pray that as I go through my day, others can see how good it is to be a Christian – how good it is to be alive!

Have a blessed day everyone!

– Richard

Would You Be Invited? – John 2:1-2

1 On the third day a wedding took place at Cana in Galilee.  Jesus' mother was there, 
2 and Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding.
– John 2:1-2

Would You Be Invited?
As Christians, it is our responsibility to show the light of Christ to the rest of the world.  From everything I have read in the Bible, Jesus was a fun guy to be around.  He liked to tell great stories, He liked to work hard, He liked to go fishing, He served His friends by feeding them, He enjoyed a good stroll, He wasn't judgmental, and He always had compassion for people – even the people nobody else cared about.  It's no wonder that he would be invited to eat with sinners, to stay at their home, and to be invited to the most important of celebrations – the joining of a new couple in marriage.  People just wanted Him around – I'm sure He just made every gathering better.

How about you?  How about me?  Are we good to have around?  Do we make the atmosphere better wherever we are?  Oh, I know that at church we are all at our best and we love everybody, but what about when we are not at church?  Would your coworkers invite you to their parties and gatherings?  Here's the kicker – would you go?  Would you be willing to subject yourself to crude language and possible drunkenness?  Would you be the life of the party or would you make everyone feel uneasy because they know you are a "Christian?"

"What would Jesus do" is a popular saying these days but we need to apply it in all situations because if You take the Bible as truth (and I know you do), then Jesus would be the guy at the party that everyone wants to talk to.  He would be serving the dip and starting the conga line, and finding chairs for all the ladies.  He would be helping to clean up after everyone else has gone home, and He would be the first one on the next invitation list.

I think we need to start being a part of this world.  Otherwise, how is anyone going to see Love in action?  How is the myth that Christians are uptight and no fun going to be busted if we keep ourselves safely cocooned within the Christian community?  The bible tells us that we need to shine our light from the hilltops but for some reason we hide ourselves away and the only light we shine is towards those who already have their own light.  We need to be willing to let our light expose us to some things that maybe we are uncomfortable with so that Jesus can be shared – with everybody.

I'm not suggesting that we go out drinking and partying all night, but I am saying that we need to be such positive forces in our circles of influence that our un-churched coworkers and acquaintances want to be around us and they want their friends to get to know us.  We should be such a good thing, maybe the only good thing, in their lives that they would make it a point to add us on their invitation lists.  When we can do that, then we will show Jesus the way He deserves to be shown – as The God who loves people and desires to be involved in every aspect of their lives.

Prayer
Father thank You for the example that Jesus set for us to follow.  I pray that I can be a very good influence in the lives of my coworkers and friends.  Forgive me for not being willing to expose myself to things outside the church.  How selfish I have been!  Thank You for opening my eyes so that I can see that this world needs to see You through my willingness to be there.  Help me to love like You love so that the light of Christ can shine brightly in my life - for everyone.

Have a blessed day and a great weekend everyone!

– Richard