Tag Archives: light

Light and Luster: Avoiding and Treating Spiritual Cataracts

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“While you have the light, believe in the light, in order that you may become sons of light.”
Jesus (John 12:36)

Deliberate decisions, conscious choices. Faith is Purposeful. Intentional.


Every day we are confronted with light and darkness easily lost or diminished in normative shades of gray. A slight deviation to the one side results in a shift in sensitivity to light, and we soon rationalize that the Light is not what it once was. Luster and clarity seem a few grades lower. The Treasure once found in that obscure field has inflationary considerations we failed to notice at the first… the Pearl of great price looks less radiant. How can that be?

Apostasy is incrementalism disguised as a dusk subtly attractive in its waning hues of gray as the days advance. This is sadly, normal Christian experience for so many that could easily be avoided if we treasure and live the principle of “in Thy light we see light.” A son of light perceives the value and power of the armor of light, and deliberately chooses life by its adornment. The old comfortable garments that the Light originally exposed as inadequate can strangely find their way back into our wardrobe. Repentance in daily practice is required preventative maintainence to treat the loss of visual acuity by our spiritual cataracts that grow ever so slowly in the spiritual aging process. “Was Light ever really much brighter, or first love really much deeper and stronger?” Care and discipline in the wee hours of the light of dawn is the rising path of nearness to The Source of sustaining righteousness. Do we persist in seeking God in secret? Do we avail ourselves to Light that exposes nuances of persistent areas of life shadows?

Deliberate and conscious must be my life purpose, my resolve to agree with the Psalmist and say, “Earnestly (early) will I seek Thee; my soul thirsts for Thee.”

“Thy Word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.” Psalm 119

“You have been bought with a price. Glorify God in your body.”

Dancing from Sin to Joy

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“O satisfy us in the morning with Your lovingkindness, 
That we may sing for joy and be glad all our days.
Make us glad according to the days You have afflicted us,
And the years we have seen evil.”
Psalms 90:14-15 (NASB)

    
The Psalmist indicates there exists an increased capacity for the children of God to know joy and gladness proportional to the degree of depravity which they have experienced. We need to understand that evil originates not only from our own personal cultivation, but also from the afflictions dumped upon us by the boneheads of the world, and unfortunately the church. Once the process is recognized we also experience God engage us with the law of the harvest principle. (Sowing & Reaping) Therein He releases the Kracken of sorts and unleashes the consequential results of doing stupid and coloring outside the lines. Oh glorious day! Did you so naively think God was going to “free-pass” you on that deal from the other day, or year? Grace abounds, yes and SUPER ABOUNDS in the presence of great perverted persistent blasphemy. (Paul always viewed himself as unworthy of being an apostle for his blasphemy, but God drowned his humility with glory and sovereign purpose). This principle is aptly illustrated in the New Testament to Simon the Pharisee by Jesus as the “woman who was a sinner” tended the Lord’s needs by washing His feet. The Lord’s praise of her was bestowed freely for her devotion to the King who was her friend as she demonstrated a penitent life.

Your rank rebellion and persistent failure are observable with devastating clarity by a purposeful glance in the rear view mirror of life. Therein lies the fertilizer that can actually become the rich soil of repentant tribulation whereby one springs heavenward and toward real life hidden with Christ in God. Never disqualify yourself as one who perpetually struggles with sin. Our badge of honor is that we are the walking wounded who have discovered a safer path of submissive obedience by way of Calvary. The call is to the death. One is more likely closer to ἀδόκιμοϛ (disqualification or rejection) for ignorance of sin or indifference to secret sin that remains unchecked rather than staying fitfully engaged in the conflict against nagging weights that we daily strive with. Did you really entertain the notion that sin’s aggravation would cease this side of glory? Sinless perfection in the flesh is blind presumption in the heart.

Joy in Jesus, quite frankly, is expanded to potentially greater horizons by the more profound pedigree of sinfulness we display. Pedigree implies past to me. History. From whence did we arise by grace? Grace multiplied by great sin is no excuse to continue frolicking with our innate pagan desires. They must perish! He calls us to glory not earthy or fleshy depravity. Glory embraces joy in pleasure rightly embraced, openly and in His presence alone. Now He is the glorious Savior of sinners and He is called Jesus, for such He came “to save His people from their sin.” Salvation from sin is not simply a satisfaction of guilt but a lifeline of rescue to each of us without exception from the power and pollution of sin. The old nonsense of, “Yeah, but I am different, I can’t escape my love of sin” is BravoSierra. It is a logical fallacy to think we can live for self if we call upon Christ as Lord. This is a twisted form of cross-less Christianity. 

If you have years of evil that are legitimately accredited to your transcript of sin, HOPE in GOD, for greater grace abounds toward you and upon you in Him. “Those who are forgiven much love much.” The morning of joy and sunlight celebration only come as the darkness of night flees His presence and glory. We celebrate the Son’s coming, not the persistence of darkness. None of us arrive at the wicket gate nor the gates of the Cellestial City unscathed. If He bore in His body the marks of His passion how can we differ?

Dance for Jesus today, this day! We have cause to hope, for grace is greater than all our sin! Don’t be blindly ignorant as the context of this Psalm speaks of a stiff-hearted, rebellious and unrepentant generation of sinners content to reject the call of God. God is not opposed to bumping off the rebellious as He did that generation in the wilderness wanderings. I guess He is patient toward me and you, though. We are still here… Let’s not presume upon His grace. If His kindness leads to repentance, where might our rejection of His kindness lead? He call us. He calls you. He calls me to a better more stable ground of no condemnation in the Son. Walk that way this day… by faith that sees the One who loves us so. 

Spittle and Dust, Light from Darkness

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“As He passed by, He saw a man blind from birth.”John 9:1

  

So here is a blind man. He has never seen the faintest flicker of light in the totality of his life. Not even a shadow. Not one ray of sunshine though he stared straight into the full noonday sun. No twinkling stars, no bright and full moon. Nothing. Blackness. Darkness is his dungeon and he has ever been swallowed and imprisoned therein. He is lost as any man apart from the illumination of divine Light. 

Unbeknownst to him in his blindness the Light of the world passes by in resplendent display of eternal glory, seen by some, yet missed by most. The Glory pauses to make clay of spittle and dust. The paste is applied to flawed eyes which were purposefully created imperfectly for this most perfect moment of the glory of God revealed. Something unseen happens, but not yet. Amazed wonder must sweep the crowd as the Ancient of Days advances His purpose. This feeble, fundamental obstacle of blindness becomes the vehicle of the works of God declaring Immanuel is with us. 

Do you see how this expands? Isn’t it absolutely stunning how visible hope, light and life are freely imparted to the hopeless, to the blind, to the dead? Help Personified comes to the helpless as a great Light dawns in the midst of our fading darkness… a Light of revelation, a light of hope. 

 “What causes you to differ?” Aren’t you formed of the same stuff? The same clay? What flaws and imperfections has God built into you that scream for His touch, His power, His glory in repair? Has He purposed to pause before you, to touch you, to heal you that your imperfections might manifest His glory through your weakness as He makes you strong in the strength of His might? His power is perfected not in your strength nor by your strength but through your exposed weakened frailty. If God scooped up a handful of dirt “in the Beginning” and created Man, then isn’t it reasonable that the Lord of life may be pleased in this case to take another handful of dust turned to mud and heal sightless eyes? Or heal whatever? He is not doing something new here. His act is not without precedence. “The works that the Father does, these I do.” The process of light from darkness is His way. “Let there be light.” Need He say more, for what He says is. His word is our command. 

When we look in the mirror each morning we see reflected flaws and little imperfect irritations of our creation. Did God err? Cry to Jesus! More significantly when we stop and listen to the voice that speaks to us from the Word of God, we hear God speak of our true need and our brokenness calls for His healing touch. Fly to Jesus! I think our right response ought move toward imitation of the Centurion who said, “Lord, I am not worthy of You to come to me. Just say the word and my servant will be healed.” I like that. The clay and spittle are optional, thank you very much… His mercy and grace and glory in His word and touch are non-optional; they are essentials. “He was born blind not for his sin, nor for his parents sin, but for the glory of God.” That’s a principle I suppose I need claim every day. What of you?

This blind man in obedient, unseeing but trusting faith responded to the command of Christ and went submissively to the pool of Siloam to wash his eyes. He returned seeing. After his subsequent rejection by the suspicious, hypocritical, unbelieving, religious professionals of the day, Jesus comes to him again. Jesus seeks him out. We need to learn something there. God seeks man, man in blindness cannot seek nor find that which is hidden from our eyes. “Christ is hidden too far in God for man to see Him unless the Father reveals Him.” (Bunyan in Pilgrim’s Progress)

Prayer: God reveal my life purpose then to me as that which is hidden with Christ in God. Show me the Son that the Son might show me the Father. Lord I come. (Col 3, Matt 11)

For the first time ever the blind man who now sees gazes upon the Light of the world, who further discloses His identity as the Son of Man. He who was blind now truly sees, he believes and he worships the King of glory. 

Our imperfections and struggles in this life call to the Light of the world. We need his touch now more than ever. We need light to see our way through this dark world as sin and stumbling stones abound and hinder. Thank God for our High Priest who understands, sympathizes, then heals and helps the downcast broken-hearted. Lord, you need not make the clay of spittle and dust, but that’s okay too. I really need you to just say the word and make me whole.


As the leper made request, “Lord, if You are willing, please heal me.”

“I am willing” and He stretched forth His hand and touched him. And he was made well. 


Photo courtesy of the modern adventurer and friend George Dobbs.