August 22, 2013 … Walking Out Of Darkness Into The Light

Daily Berry Patch Devotions in 2013 - Day 234

Devotional Song: Go to this link -  Take in this encouraging old hymn, sung by Michael W Smith, singing Turn Your Eyes upon Jesus, reminding us that the only way we can walk away from the darkness of this world is to pursue His light in our lives.

Highlight meditation passage – Exodus 20: 21 [with verses 18-21] [NLT]: …  
18 When the people heard the thunder and the loud blast of the ram’s horn, and when they saw the flashes of lightning and the smoke billowing from the mountain, they stood at a distance, trembling with fear. 19 And they said to Moses, “You speak to us, and we will listen. But don’t let God speak directly to us, or we will die!” 20 “Don’t be afraid,” Moses answered them, “for God has come in this way to test you, and so that your fear of him will keep you from sinning!” 21 As the people stood in the distance, Moses approached the dark cloud where God was.
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Highlight reading study #1 of Exodus, Chapters 20: Go to this link … 
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Reference Passage #1: John 3: 18-21 [NLT] [Jesus invites us to come the THE Light.]…  
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. 21 But those who do what is right come to the light so others can see that they are doing what God wants.”

Reference Passage #2: Romans 12: 1-2 [Living a life bathed in light of Christlikeness.] … [NLT] …  
1 And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him. 2 Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.

Reference Passage #3: 2nd Corinthians 4: 6 [We come to the light and out of the darkness when we do all we can to see and seek Jesus’ light.] … [NLT] …  
6 For God, Who said, “Let there be light in the darkness,” has made this light shine in our hearts so we could know the glory of God that is seen in the face of Jesus Christ.

My Journal for Today: Have you ever been in a dark place of sinful living as a Christian, perhaps where you were unwilling or unable to confess your sin for a period of time, covering up the darkness in your life? … But then, … finally, … you came out from the darkness into the light by confessing your sin to God and to at least one other person? Do you recall the feelings of release and peace which you experienced in that moment of unburdening and your willingness to surrender to God’s Spirit and to come to the light of truth from the darkness of cover-up?

This morning I’ve linked you to one of my favorite hymns, in this case sung by Michael W Smith, which exhorts Christians to do all we can to turn our eyes on or toward Jesus. And this song is so powerful because it points us to the only way to come out of the darkness and into the light of Christ; and that is to seek His face by the way we live our lives [seek out above and meditate on Romans 12: 1-2 for Paul’s prescription for this kind of living].

 I’m not going to write very much here today; because, like myself, I think you know, from the conviction and enlightenment ministry of the Holy Spirit, what Jesus was saying to Nicodemus in John 3: 18-21 or the Apostle Paul to Christians in 2nd Cor. 4: 6, both copied above for our meditation. And just as Michael W Smith sings, we must willing to come to the Light and out of the darkness by seeking to look into the face of Jesus in order to live lives which reflect Christ’s Light of truth and not the Satan-inspired darkness we see in this world.

We must ask ourselves; … “Are we living in the light or in the darkness?” And if our answer is the latter, we must come to the Light and out of the darkness by seeking to do all we can to live and reflect God’s truth in our lives.

I don’t know about you; but I could do more to live in the light.

My Prayer for Today … Lord, as I so often pray in this place, shine Your Light on my path so that I can clearly see where to walk out of the darkness and reflect Your light through my life. … Amen