“The unfolding of Your words gives light; It gives understanding to the simple.” – Psa. 119:113
I’m pretty simple. I could use light. I could use understanding. I like to see and know. What about you?
UNFOLD HIS WORDS!
“The Scriptures show us what we were, what we are, and what we shall be. They show us the mercy and the justice of the Lord, the joys of heaven, and the pains of hell.” – Matthew Henry
Of course, the opposite of this verse is equally true:
“The folding, hiding, & neglecting of Your words removes light & brings darkness. It gives confusion to the simple.” – Anti-Psalms 119:113
The more light you let in, the brighter you become. It’s your choice; shut the blinds completely & remain in the dark, crack the blinds & let in just a fraction of light, or tear the blinds down & flood the room with light!
Light has come into the world (John 3:19). It’s up to you how much of it you let in.
One of the most commonly shared experiences has got to be lighting candles on a birthday cake. You know how it goes: you take one candle & light it. Then you light the other candles with it until they are all lit.
That is exactly how the Holy Spirit ignites our hearts for the Gospel; individually, until we are all burning. Even the smallest candle has the potential to set a whole forest ablaze. That is how Grace grows! LIKE AN INFERNO!
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, purifies us from all sin. – 1 John 1:7
A candle without the Flame is useless. It’s just wax & some string. But the candle ABLAZEbecomes powerful (Psa. 18:28). Now it’s a beacon (Matt. 5:14-16). That shift is solely due to the Source: God, who is a consuming fire (Heb. 12:29).
He kindles us (Luke 12:49).
As lanterns for the Gospel we carry the light of God’s truth through this present darkness (Eph. 6:12). A torch cannot help but burn & bear light. Neither can we (John 12:46; 8:12)!
We, the kindled, the ignited, the aflame – spread those sparks into a roaring wildfire.
William L. Watkinson said “It is better to light a candle than to curse the darkness.” Yelling at the night never did any good. No, we overcome evil with good (Rom. 12:21).
Now, don’t expect the world to like your torch (John 15:18). Don’t expect a Thank-You card & some flowers. No, light DESTROYS darkness. So for them, its self-preservation. Don’t be surprised when the world turns on you. They like it in the dark, can’t stand any light, & don’t want His light cast on their dark. They like to be covered in a blanket of shadows.
This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. – John 3:19
It is the appearance of light that kills darkness. Light douses dark. Darkness can’t extinguish the torch. Never! No, darkness has to flee (John 3:19).
With one word, the darkness is vanquished. That word is JESUS!
This has become my life verse. It is what I live by: “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden; nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.”Matt. 5:14-16.
I used to treat my faith, my beliefs… my God as something… personal. It was a private matter. You know, society tells you: “Avoid politics and religion in polite conversation.” It’s a touchy subject. People’s feathers get ruffled. So, keep it to yourself. Keep it internal. That’s between me and God.
Then I read Matt. 5:14-16 and it was like a lightning bolt to my heart. It leveled me. It left me in tears. It changed my whole life.
You don’t buy a lamp and then put it under the table. Who in the world would ever do that? You put that lamp where everyone can see it. You put it in a special place so the whole room is lit up. Without that lamp, the room is in darkness. You would stumble around and bump into everything. Turn the lamp on… and suddenly the room is easier to navigate.
My love for God and my service to Him is too big to hide under the table. It’s too important to me to keep it internal. Sorry, if bringing up Jesus Christ makes you uncomfortable because it makes me uncomfortable NOT bringing up Jesus.
You can’t hide a city on a hill. It’s impossible. It’s up there, man. It’s lit up for all the valley to see. Why would you even want to hide it? What do you want to do? Move it? Dig a big hole and bury that city underground? Who wants to live like that? You’ve taken the thing that makes that city so beautiful and snuffed it out.
So, the lamps in my room are all on the table. The city where I live is not hidden. In fact, we’ve added new brighter lights and a “bat signal” light like in Batman. We might even have fireworks tonight, I don’t know. But I can tell you this: We aren’t hard to find.
A Verse A Day 