MORNING MANNA - JANUARY 15, 2007 - THE RESULTS OF LIVING BY SIGHT

Genesis 30:2 (New Living Translation)
^{2 (NLT)} Jacob flew into a rage. "Am I God?" he asked. "He is the only one able to give you children!"

The above portion of scripture may seem extreme to us at first sight.  Jacob flew into a rage.  Why?  Because his wife, Rachel, had just taken her frustration and anger out on him.  She had seen her sister, Leah having his children and she did not have any of her own.  Hence, before Jacob's rage, Rachel had just lashed out at him, saying, "Give me children, or I'll die!" (Genesis 30:1)  Rachel must have had a bit of temporary amnesia.  Had she forgotten that she was the wife that Jacob loved more than he loved her sister Leah?  (Genesis 29:30)  So, it was not for lack of Jacob's love that she didn't have children.  She was blessed in every way except she did not have the status, which was important in that day, of having children.  Her sister had it and she wanted it.  She wanted the pleasure of being favored over her sister in the marriage along with the status of having at least as many children as her sister.  She was jealous.

Instead of turning to God with her desires, she demanded that her husband fulfill them.  Obviously, he had been trying.  No wonder he flew into a rage at her demand.  For whatever reason, are we like Rachel sometimes?  For the most part, in America, we are well blessed.  Some have this and some have that.  When we look across the fence, do we see the grass over there as greener than ours and become envious?  Lord, help us to remember the grass over there has to be mowed too!  Does what we see in other's lives cause us to start to "want it all?"

There is nothing wrong with wanting to be blessed.  God has promised it.  In Rachel's day, a woman was considered blessed if she had children.  That was a legitimate desire.  But the desire was misguided by envy, causing Rachel to sin.  Instead of inquiring of the Lord, she lashed out at Jacob who loved her dearly.  Jacob was right.  God is the only one who could give Rachel children.  God is the only one who can fully grant our desires too.  Rachel, like others then and now, decided to help God out.  She gave Jacob her servant, Bilhah to bear a child for him.  Bilhah gave birth twice but Rachel, in naming these children, showed her true colors.  She gave them names associated with the struggle for power between she and her sister. (Genesis 30:5-8 )  Desires and blessings are not bad in themselves.  Motives and methods are another story. 

Rachel saw with her eyes that she was not having children.  Instead of having faith in God, she blamed Jacob and envied her sister.  Instead of having a thankful heart for the love Jacob had shown her, she became angry and frustrated.  She passed these things down through the names of her first children.  What is it that you desire today?  God is able and wants to grant it.  Only He is able.  Only in committing our way to Him and no one else, will we be in a position to receive them. (Psalm 37:4-5)     Don't look at what you see today, look in faith to God who is able to change what you see into what you desire to see!      

MORNING MANNA - JANUARY 14, 2007 - FOR BETTER OR WORSE

Genesis 28:9 (Amplified Bible)
^{9 (AMP)} So Esau went to Ishmael and took to be his wife, [in addition] to the wives he [already] had, Mahalath daughter of Ishmael, Abraham ’s son, the sister of Nebaioth.

Doing the right thing in the wrong way or for the wrong reason never works!  I know.  I've done it.  The end doesn't always justify the means.  As believers, we need to keep our lives in line with God's Word and always choose the best.  (Psalm 119:60)   When we do that the end will be taken care of by God.  (Psalm 37:5)  Sin always leads to sickness and death (Romans 6:23) but obedience leads to a healthy spirit and abundant life. (John 10:10)  Esau experienced the worst and, naturally speaking, Jacob should have too.  But the one experienced the worst and the other experienced the better.

Jacob was blessed by God.  His mother Rebekah had been told by God while he was still in her womb with his brother Esau that Esau would serve Jacob even though Jacob would be the younger.  (Genesis 25:23)  Although we cannot always understand God's ways or his grace, He is sovereign and He will give that grace to whom He will.  (Exodus 33:19) Jacob had been chosen as the one to receive the greater blessing despite the fact that he lived up to the meaning of his name (supplanter, heel-catcher).  Although he was quiet and retiring, he was a very cunning and deceptive liar.  Ever met anybody like that?  It would surely only be the grace and sovereignty of God that would gain him the great blessing that was in store for him.  Esau, on the other hand, lived for the moment.  His passions seemed to rule him (as when he sold his birthright for some stew - Genesis 25:32).  We've all encountered those people too. 

Jacob did have a redeeming quality though.  It was obedience.  His parents desired that their children would walk in the ways of God.  They were not to marry foreign women.  Esau chose to walk in disobedience and married two Canaanite women.  As it is in all families, when one makes the wrong choice in marriage, the whole family is in disarray.  His parents were greatly grieved by his disobedience.  Instead of choosing the better, he chose the worst.  To make matters even worse, Esau then married another wife from forbidden territory.  Instead of being repentant he decided to do what he thought was right - the wrong way. Jacob, on the other hand, obeyed and married who God deemed best - the daughter of his Uncle Laban.  Esau is not well-spoken of by God.  Jacob was blessed.  Both men were sinners, just as all of us are sinners. (Romans 3:23)  Jacob lived by faith.  Esau lived by sight.  How are we living today?  For better or for worse?  By faith or by sight?  (2 Corinthians 5:7)  Trouble and hardship will come to all of us.  It came to both Esau and Jacob.  Living by faith in obedience will bring the blessing.  Is there trouble in your life today?  Open the Word of God, find a scripture that applies to your situation.  Cling to it and trust God.  He will give you what is best! 

MORNING MANNA - JANUARY 12, 2007 - LISTEN AND OBEY

Genesis 26:5 (New Living Translation)
^{5 (NLT)} I will do this because Abraham listened to me and obeyed all my requirements, commands, regulations, and laws."

Have you ever read something in the Bible or heard the still small voice of God telling you to do something?  (Psalm 78:1)  You were listening, right?  Then did you do that thing?  (Genesis 17:9)  Or did it get shoved back on your "to do" list?  Or maybe completely forgotten in the activities of your day?  I confess that I have done that.  I wish I had not because I deprived myself of the blessing that God was wanting to give me by not both listening and obeying. Abraham, known as the father of our faith, (Romans 4:11-12) not only listened.  He put his faith to work.  (James 2:20) So must we. 

Isaac, Abraham's son, received a visit from the Lord and a command.  (Genesis 26:2-4)   The command came with a blessing.  The blessing was conditional on Isaac's obeying the command.  Isaac had not yet obeyed the command but the blessing that flowed down to him from his father's obedience was about to come upon him - if he listened and obeyed as Abraham had done. God is in the business of blessing His people.  But most of the blessings are conditional.  They are received by choice.  Our choice.  (Deuteronomy 30:19)  Listen and obey.  Or not.  Choose blessing.  Or, choose cursing.  Not a hard choice at first.  Who wants cursing?  Yet, the distractions of this life can sometimes affect the unconscious choice we make.  (Mark 4:19)  God is still speaking today through His Word and revelation of the Holy Spirit.  But are we listening?  Further, are we obeying?

Abraham's choice to listen and obey not only brought him blessing.  It brought blessing down upon his son, Isaac, too.  (Genesis 17:21)  As parents, that gives us yet another reason to check our ears and our wills to see if we are truly listening and obeying the voice of God.  We all want our children to be well provided for.  Some of us go to great lengths to give them "all the things I didn't have."  But, there is a greater and more eternal way we can provide for our children's future.  Like Abraham, we can listen carefully to God and then obey His commands.  Then when we are no longer walking this earth, like Abraham, our children will be blessed and provided for.  Any open ears and willing hearts out there this morning?  God is searching for you.  (Psalm 53:2)  He wants to speak to you and to bless you and those that come after you.  How about it?

MORNING MANNA - JANUARY 11, 2007 - TOUCHED BY THE HAND OF THE MASTER

Mark 1:41 (New Living Translation)
^{41 (NLT)} Moved with pity, Jesus touched him. "I want to," he said. "Be healed!"

Recounted in the pages of God's Word is the story of a man with no hope.  At least it appeared that way.  His body was filled with leprosy and he was ostracized from everyone around him.  He could no longer feel the touch of loved ones for two reasons.  He was unclean by the standards of Biblical law and considered untouchable.  (Leviticus 13:45)  And, as the disease of leprosy does, he was unable to feel much in his physical body except for the pain inside.  For instance, if he put his hand in the fire, he would not feel the pain until it was burned severely.  How like you and me this man is.  Leprosy is such a picture of us before we are set free from sin. 

Sin in our lives causes us to stop feeling emotionally and then spiritually.  It eventually causes our consciences to become seared so that we cannot feel right from wrong.  (Proverbs 28:14, 1 Timothy 4:1-2)  It causes us to be selfish and unloving toward those around us and especially toward God.  (2 Timothy 3:1-5)  When those things happen, others begin to notice that we are not desirable to be around.  Taken to the final degree, we could end up in prison or worse because of activities in our lives caused by our insensitivity to right and wrong. (Romans 6:23)  All of us have the potential to become as spiritually bankrupt as this man was physically bankrupt.  We were born into sin and there is no cure aside from the Master.  (Romans 3:23) 

As Jesus saw this man coming toward him in faith, He had pity on him. How awful (the people must have thought)!  Jesus had an enormous crowd following Him but He broke the law right in front of them!  He reached out and touched an unclean man!  This, in effect, made Him unclean.  Yes, it did!  Jesus had already agreed before setting foot on earth as a man to take the filthiness of man upon Himself and give us His righteousness.  (1 Corinthians 1:30)  What a wonder this portion of scripture is.  With that touch, an exchange was made.  The leper was given health.  Jesus took on his sickness and would later suffer the stripes on His back for this man's healing.  (1 Peter 2:24)  What a picture of the way He stepped out of glory to come to you and me.  Sinners lost without hope of a cure.  We must come in faith and trust just as this leper did.  As we come in absolute spiritual sickness and poverty, a compassionate and righteous Hand is extended to touch us in our depravity.  (2 Peter 3:9)  Instantly, we can feel again.  Instantly, we are a new creature.  (2 Corinthians 5:17)  No longer are we forced to go it alone.  (Matthew 28:20  Our former self-righteousness is replaced by His righteousness.  (Isaiah 64:6)  We are whole because He became sin for us!  He never committed a sin but chose to take ours upon Himself.  Oh, if you have received this gift, go as the leper was told to do and make an offering of yourself to the High Priest for your healing!  (Matthew 8:4)  If you have not realized that you are hopelessly on a downhill road leading to death without a Savior, run to Him in all your filth falling at His feet.  Like the leper, the Master will reach out and touch you too, exchanging your filthy rags for His riches. The Master wants to touch and heal you! 

MORNING MANNA - JANUARY 10, 2007 - LAUGH AGAIN

Genesis 21:6 (New Living Translation)
^{6 (NLT)} And Sarah declared, "God has brought me laughter! All who hear about this will laugh with me.

Sarah was a woman of laughter.  But like some of us, her laughter did not always indicate happiness.  She had lived with her husband Abraham for a long time.  In fact, she was ninety years old before what was considered a curse in those times was declared by God to be lifted.  (Genesis 18:10)  She had no children.  It was the dream and desire of every woman at that time.  When an angel appeared and told Abraham she would bear a child, she overheard while she was working in the tent and she laughed within herself. (Genesis 18:15)  This wasn't the cheerful laugh of joy, but a laugh perhaps of bitterness and certainly unbelief.  You and I would probably do the same.   Abraham did too.  (Genesis 17:17)  Imagine a couple, one hundred and ninety years old, respectively, having a child!  Unbelievable!!

God hears our laughter, whether it is due to unbelief or real joy.  It is His desire that joy prevail in our lives.  He wants to give it to us in its fullness.  It is found in His presence.  (Psalm 16:11)  The kind of joy He gives is our strength. (Nehemiah 8:10)  Unfortunately, the good news of a dream fulfilled does not always come at the time we want or expect.  (Proverbs 15:30) It can leave us depressed and maybe cause our faith to waiver. As Joyce Meyer often says, we can get into the pattern of "when God when?"  As time passes, we can get into the pattern of  "how God how?"  What we often lose sight of is that nothing is impossible with God.  (Luke 1:37)  

The angel knew Sarah had laughed in disbelief and confronted her with it.  She denied that she had laughed because she was afraid.  (Genesis 18:15)  Are you ever afraid because you have become tired in your faith and become depressed?  At that point, has the enemy come at you with guilt about your lack of faith?  Has the absence of a dream fulfilled in your life (in the time you expected) caused you to become spiritually listless?  Are you sometimes and become tempted (like Sarah) to laugh at God's promises when you hear or read them because they don't appear to be evident in your life?  Does it seem like God has forgotten you when it comes to the very thing your heart so desires?  Then remember Sarah.  She too laughed in disbelief and maybe even bitterness.  She was afraid when confronted with it and denied it.  Don't deny how you feel.  Give it all to God.  Like Sarah, He wants to bless you.  Once again you will laugh just like Sarah did.  When you are at ground zero that is exactly when God will step in and do what seems to be impossible.  He will do it in His time and in His way.  You will laugh again.  This time with joy.  And, all who hear your testimony will laugh with you giving God the glory!

MORNING MANNA - JANUARY 9, 2007 - CHOOSING THE RIGHT GATE

Matthew 7:13-14 (New Living Translation)
^{13 (NLT)} "You can enter God's Kingdom only through the narrow gate. The highway to hell is broad, and its gate is wide for the many who choose the easy way.
¹⁴ But the gateway to life is small, and the road is narrow, and only a few ever find it.

"You take the high road and I'll take the low road and I'll be in Scotland before ye."  These are lyrics to a song written many years ago.  There is nothing spiritual about the song but this lyric came to mind as I read of the two gates and roads Jesus spoke of.  Taking the lower road may be easier and get you somewhere faster.  But exactly where  will it get you?  If you liken it to the broad road that Jesus speaks about, you will most certainly be agonized when you reach the final destination.  Oh yes, the road will be wide.  There will be plenty of room for you to take lots of "stuff" with you (pride, vanity, sexual permissiveness and perversion, bitterness, resentment - you name it).  There's room for lots of people and lots of stuff.  And, as you travel along, you will be met for the most part by an, "I'm OK, you're OK" attitude.  Everything will be gray.  No black or white.  No need for any narrowing of attitude except, of course, about the ones who, by the standards of the broad road travelers, took the wrong road.  These obviously misled people took the narrow gate and are walking on the narrow road or the higher road.  Why would anyone in their right mind do that?  Why?  Because the final destination will bear out a wiser choice! 

Not many woud go through that small gate according to Jesus.  Why would they anyway?  The gate is so small.  Not much of anything can go through it with you.  All your "baggage" must be left outside the gate as you wiggle only yourself through.  You have to give up everything just to get through.  Yes, it's tough to give up that pride.  To give up those grudges.  Etc, etc.  But some actually choose to do it!  Not many, of course.  For one thing, the ones on the broad road are always touting the benefits of the road they are on.  Look at everything you can bring with you!  Look how much easier the road is!!  Come along with us.  Eat, drink and be merry!!  (Luke 12:19)   It all sounds great.  No need for sacrifice or judgment.

Unfortunately, the majority is not always right.  There is a way (or road) that seems right to men but the final destination is not where we really want to go.  It is death.  (Proverbs 14:12)  We can't always take the side of the majority.  Jesus said "few" would find the small gate and the narrow road.  Few today are willing to give up.  (Matthew 10:39)  Few realize that when we give up those things required to get through that small gate, we receive so much more in return.  Instead of reaching Hell as our final destination on the broad road, we reach abundant life and Heaven!  The gate may be difficult to get through and we may encounter some brusies as we push our way through.  The road may be narrow and it may take some discipline to be sure we do not get off on some side-road.  But the benefits far outweigh any sacrifices.  (John 10:10)  Which gate are you choosing.  Which road will you travel.  Getting somewhere faster is not good unless the place you get to is a desired location!  Remember, choosing a home (especially an eternal one) is all about, "location, location, location."  The small gate that very few find is Jesus, Himself.  He is the Gate.  (John 10:9) He is the only way to Paradise - the most coveted destination of all time.  (John 14:16)  Wouldn't you like to go?  You can.  Jesus paid the way.  Jesus is the Way!

MORNING MANNA - JANUARY 8, 2007 - OF WIVES, HUSBANDS AND GOD

Genesis 16:1-2 (New Living Translation)
^{1 (NLT)} But Sarai, Abram's wife, had no children. So Sarai took her servant, an Egyptian woman named Hagar,
² and gave her to Abram so she could bear his children. "The LORD has kept me from having any children," Sarai said to Abram. "Go and sleep with my servant. Perhaps I can have children through her." And Abram agreed.

Wasn't Sarai just like most of mankind, men and women alike?  We have heard the Word of God but what He tells us is usually impossible.  Impossible that is, without His intervention in our lives.  Abram had been told by God that he would have a son to inherit the great blessings that God had promised him.  (Genesis 15:4)  He must have told his wife Sarai.  She must have gotten impatient, not to speak of lacking faith since she was really too old to have a child.

Whether it was impatience with God's timing or lack of faith or both, Sarai came up with a plan of her own to "help" God out.  Have you ever done that when things don't seem to be popping in your life the way you expected?  I know I have.  It's never a good idea.  After all, can you come up with better ideas than your Creator?  Sometimes our pride, our greed, our impatience, our lack of faith, our lack of trust causes us to act like we can.

Here's where husbands, wives and God come into play. God created man first.  He was the first to communicate with God.  After that, He created woman, equal to man in humanity but to be a helper to her husband.  Wives, have you ever "helped" your husband to do the wrong thing?  Don't answer just now!  The thing is that God had spoken to Abram first.  That's the way He would like to do it today too.  Are you listening husbands?  Are you studying and meditating on His Word?  Are you in prayer every day for guidance?   When God speaks through His word or by revelation of His Spirit to you, men, go with it.  Don't back down even if your wife has a better idea.  Share it with her and work as a faith team to trust that all God has said will come to pass in your lives.  Wives, your job is to submit to your husbands as unto the Lord. (Ephesians 5:22)  When the Lord speaks to him, be his true helper in love, faith and in trust.  Share what the Lord has given you through his word but don't sidetrack him with your "better" ideas.  Even if things don't go as you think they should,  encourage him to stay true to God's word.  Walk side by side in faith and trust knowing that God's plan for your lives will be far better than your own.  Of wives, husbands and God, always let God take the lead.  The two of you follow along, in unity. (Romans 15:5)

MORNING MANNA - JANUARY 7, 2007 - TWO KINGS

Genesis 14:17-18 (New Living Translation)
^{17 (NLT)} As Abram returned from his victory over Kedorlaomer and his allies, the king of Sodom came out to meet him in the valley of Shaveh (that is, the King's Valley).
¹⁸ Then Melchizedek, the king of Salem and a priest of God Most High, brought him bread and wine.

Abram (later renamed Abraham by God) (Genesis 17:5) had just had a great victory.  He had taken his few people and defeated a king who was almost undefeatable at that time.  His motive in fighting was to free his nephew Lot and his family from the captivity that had taken place when King Kedorlaomer overran Sodom.  Remember when Lot was given the choice of any land he wanted by Abram? (Genesis 13:9)  He chose to live in the area of Sodom and Gomorrah.  It looked good.  (Genesis 13:10-11) This trouble he was now in would be his first clue as to the great problems living in a land filled with sin would bring him.  Now his Uncle Abram, instead of being joyful at his nephews calamity because he had chosen the better looking land, took an enormous risk in going out against a great king in order to set Lot free.  But God was with Abraham.  He had victory.

Sometimes we have great victories in our lives too when we follow the dictates of the Lord.  Sometmes we have had to take risks and do things that other people did not understand or quite agree with.  But we have done it because we knew that the Lord was speaking.  After Abram returned from his victory, he was met by two kings.  The king of Sodom came out to meet him.  This king represents Satan.  Then  Melchizedek, the king of Salem (meaning peace) came out to meet him.  This was a priest of God Most High.  He was a picture of Jesus. (Hebrews 5:7-10)  The king of Sodom was only interested in what he could get.  He wanted his people back and offered material things in return. (Genesis 14:21)  That's just like Satan, isn't it?  He wants to take God's people at any cost.    Melchizedek, on the other hand, gave.  He brought Abram bread and wine.  Remember Jesus offered us bread and wine to eat and drink in remembrance of Him until He comes again?  (Luke 22:17-20)  What a contrast to the trickery of the devil.  God gave, just as He gave us His Son, to make sure we would not stay in the kingdom of Sodom (Satan).  (John 3:16)  God gave to free us.  Satan will put out bait in order to capture us.

In the life of Jesus we see the same pattern.  It happened just after His great victory in which he was baptized by John.  The very voice of God had spoken over Him declaring His identity.  (Matthew 3:17)  God had said that He was well pleased with Him.  Immediately afterwards, the Holy Spirit led Him into the wilderness where he was met by Satan.  (Matthew 4:1)  When we have a great victory, we might expect that soon after we will have a very important choice to make.  We may also be confronted by two kings.  Will we give in to the one who wants to kill, steal and destroy all that God has given us?  (John 10:10)  Or will we receive the bread and wine of the Savior and remember to follow in all His commands?  Melchizedek blessed Abram. (Genesis 14:19-20)   Then Abram gave Melchizedek a tenth of all the goods he had received.  The next time we have a great victory in our lives, may it be that we remember to watch for the two kings.  Only one is the real King.  (1 Timothy 6:15)  Like Abram, let's receive the King's blessing and give him an offering of our time, talent and resources.  Beyond that, and most importantly, let's give Him our hearts!

MORNING MANNA - JANUARY 5, 2007 - BUT GOD REMEMBERED

Genesis 8:1 (New Living Translation)
^{1 (NLT)} But God remembered Noah and all the animals in the boat. He sent a wind to blow across the waters, and the floods began to disappear.

How are things in your life this morning?  For some of us, there may be a flood going on.  This past holiday season, as is the usual, has brought joy to some but grief to others.  Perhaps you have lost someone you hold dear to death or the dissolution of a relationship.  Perhaps it is the loss of a job or just that your job doesn't provide enough to make your ends come together at the end of the month.  Maybe your emotions have been frazzled by the holiday frenzy of activity, family get-together's and visits or the extra work involved. 

My sister and I have a favorite saying.  It's just two words, "But God....."  All of the above (and I am sure there are many more things) make us feel like the flood waters have covered the earth of our life.  We begin to get water-logged and feel as though we will surely drown in the deluge.  But God.....  Noah had been in the ark for five months before the flood waters started to dry up.  Then it was about another seven months before he was able to step out again onto dry land.  God's word says that when the enemy comes in like a flood God will lift up a standard.  (Isaiah 59:18-19)  Sometimes the enemy comes because God uses him to give us a wake-up call.  We may have some adjustments needed our lives and maybe that's the only way God can get our attention.  Sometimes the enemy comes to persecute us because he sees that we are growing in the Lord and producing fruit.  The devil certainly does not want that.  In any case, God is God over the enemy!   The enemy can only go as far as God allows in our lives and then He will send relief  (1 Corinthians 10:13)  God never forgets His own.  God remembers us in our time of flood just as He remembered Noah.  (Isaiah 49:15) 

Noah spent a year of his life riding out the flood that destroyed all the wickedness in the world.  He had found favor with God.  Today, you and I have favor with God because of the sacrifice of His Son, Jesus.  Just as Noah was protected in the ark, so we too are protected in the Ark if we have received Jesus as our Savior.  He is our Ark.  In Jesus we have the sustaining power to walk through the flood of evil that is in this world and many times touches our lives.  Because of Him, everything that happens to us will be turned to good if we remain faithful (Romans 8:28).  We may go through high waters, but God......  Sometimes we are delivered quickly but sometimes, as with Noah, we must be patient and wait for God to make the way dry so we can walk again without getting muddy.  God sent a wind for Noah to dry up the water.  He sends a Wind for you and me too.  It is the breath of His Holy Spirit.  The ark landed on the top of Mount Ararat five months after the flood began.  Little by little the water went down and the mountain peaks began to appear.  So it is in our lives sometimes, little by little the problems decrease as we keep trusting God.  The flood waters begin to dry up.  For Noah, it was seven months after the rain stopped before he could step out of the ark and begin to work the earth.  Boy, that was patience!  And, it was probably getting a little crowded there in the ark with all those animals.  But God remembered Noah and God remembers you and your situation too.  If things are a bit wet in your life right now, just stay in the Ark, trust Him and your day of release will come.  If you can't remember anything else about your situation, remember the One Who remembers you.  But God..................

MORNING MANNA - JANUARY 2, 2007 - LET THERE BE LIGHT IN MY LIFE

Genesis 1:3-5 (New Living Translation)
^{3 (NLT)} Then God said, "Let there be light," and there was light.
⁴ And God saw that it was good. Then he separated the light from the darkness.
⁵ God called the light "day" and the darkness "night." Together these made up one day.

Every day each of our lives is made up of light and darkness.  We have the physical light of the day in which to work and the physical dark of the night in which to stay secure and rest.  But we also have spiritual light every day in addition to unwelcome intrusions of spiritual darkness.  On the first day of creation God introduced the Light.  His name was Jesus.  (John 12:46) At His birth, He came to bring light into our darkness.  It is the darkness of our sin but many would not receive the Light.  (John 3:20)  Hopefully we have all received that Light this morning.  Yes, we have sin that will be exposed by the Light but, when exposed, we can repent and be done with it.  Forgiven for eternity.  Guaranteed a place with God forever where there will be no more darkness.  (Revelation 21:23)  In that place, there won't even be any need for the lesser lights of the sun and the moon any more.  Jesus always was,  is and will be the eternal Light.

We have the opportunity to walk in that Light right this minute.  We never have to be out of it unless we choose to.  Bad choice!  When God created the first day, he separated the Light from the darkness.  Although this statement is beyond human understanding, at least one thing can be learned from it.  We are given the opportunity to be separate and walk in the Light which God declared was good.  (John 8:12)  If we choose this wondrous opportunity, we will not have to stumble around in the darkness of sin.  We will have real life which cannot be separated from the Light who is also the Life.  (John 14:6) God calls us to separate ourselves from this dark world  to live a life filled with Light.  (2 Corinthians 6:17)  He wants us to separate ourselves from darkness just as He separated the Light from the darkness at the beginning. 

Separating ourselves from the darkness does not mean that we will not continue to live in a dark world.  However, it does mean that while living here and interacting with those whose eyes are still blinded by the devil (2 Corinthians 4:4), we must be the light we were meant to be.  Light always shines brighter in darkness.  So, we too, were made to be a beacon to those who are lost in the sea of sin.  (Matthew 5:14)  We can shut out the Light by ignoring and condoning sin and darkness in our lives.  Doing this will cause us to slip without realizing it into a darkness which is masked by Satan who masquerades as an angel of light.  (2 Corinthians 11:14)  We need to be aware of the darkness around us while focusing on the Light Who is also the Word.  May this year find us filling ourselves with the Light and the Word and walking in the Way!    May it be that Jesus's righteousness shines forth through us as a light to the world and that self-righteousness does not deceive us into thinking we are in the light when we have slipped into darkness.  (Luke 11:35)  So, go this morning and let your Light shine so others will see your good works and glorify the Father that you serve!  (Matthew 5:16)