Imagine a place where there is no poverty, no trash, no dishonesty, no crime, no fear, and there is always joy, forgiveness, fun, honor, truth, integrity, and glory. What a place that is and truth be told, it does exist: The New Jerusalem.

“²⁶They will bring into it the glory and the honor of the nations. ²⁷But nothing unclean will ever enter it, nor anyone who does what is detestable or false, but only those who are written in the Lamb’s book of life.” – Revelation 21:26-27 (ESV)

What a glorious place it is. There is nothing but great things there and all evil or “detestable or false” will not be allowed. The New Jerusalem is utopia, and what a place to find as our final destination.

How is it that The New Jerusalem is this utopia? Well first, because it is of God and everything of God is utopia. But there is more to it. God is light and light is truth and integrity. So when the light of God is shone upon something, the truth is revealed. And such a place is a place to be avoided by the evil, “detestable or false” and therefore the light is what brings the utopia to The New Jerusalem.

“²⁴By its light will the nations walk, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it, ²⁵and its gates will never be shut by day—and there will be no night there.” – Revelation 21:24-25 (ESV)

When the God shines His light, there is nothing to blot it out and therefore in The New Jerusalem there is no darkness or night. And without the darkness, that which is found in the darkness will not be. And without the evil, “detestable or false” there is no reason to close or even lock the gates of city. And that is the utopia where I know that I am looking forward to be my final resting place.

When you look out into the world, what do you see as being in the light? Where can you go to find that place where evil and the “detestable or false” will not be found? Wouldn’t it be great to find yourself resting in the utopia that is in the light?

I make it a habit of getting exercise in the early morning and as such the sun has yet to come up making it a little difficult to see where I am going. Yes, I do have the light of the street lamps, but that is only light for a short period and is directed at intersections and not generally on the longer stretches. I have made it a practice of walking or jogging on the edge of the road as opposed to the sidewalk to avoid any cracks that would cause me to stumble.

It is that way for us on the road or path of life as well. When darkness is there, we cannot be sure the path is clear. And without a clear path, we will find the cracks and stumble or fall. Imagine walking into a completely dark room you have never been in that is full of furniture and walking from one side to the other without bumping into something along the way.

“¹⁰Whoever loves his brother abides in the light, and in him there is not cause for stumbling. ¹¹But whoever hates his brother is in the darkness and walks in the darkness, and does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes.” – 1 John 2:10-11 (ESV)

In order for me to keep from stumbling, although I still will, I have to spend my time walking in the light and doing what I can to avoid the darkness. As I go through this world, I have to remember that I am carrying the light of Christ with me and when I am spending my time in that light, I am less likely to fall over the cracks in the sidewalk because I am able to see them before me.

As you walk in this world, are you walking in the dark? What if you were to use the light of Christ to brighten your path? Wouldn’t your footing be firmer with the light of Christ?

A few months ago I was studying the word “darkness” just as a few weeks ago, I am again at a passage I studied then as I study “light”.

“⁵This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. ⁷But 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 1:5 & 7 (ESV)

I find and commune with God in the light. When I am in need, He provides the light for my comfort. He is there with me as I go, not just to nudge me along. I am grateful for His fellowship.

It is in the light that I find that fellowship with Him. And it is in the light that I find fellowship with my brothers and sisters in Christ. We see each other, warts and all, and love each other in spite of them. There, in the light we do not hide, we are open and transparent for all to see, knowing that the love of Christ is with us, shining on us, and comforting us.

When commune and fellowship, is it done in the light? What difficulties and deceptions have you found in the darkness? How much more comforting is it to fellowship in the light?

“⁹But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.” – 1 Peter 2:9 (ESV)

I grew up in the church. I was in Sunday School each week, went to youth camp, was in Praise and Worship team, and even a Deacon in the church. So, when I think about how I came to Christ and accepted Him as my Savior, it was as if that was part of the plan for me all along.

For others the journey to Christ was much different. There may have been a hard childhood, difficulties as teenagers, and adulthood that seemed tough to manage. But, at some point, God was found and the relationship with Him forged to salvation.

Both of the scenarios above ended the same way, brought into the light. God has a plan for each of us and we are chosen for that plan. And all of those plans are happening in the right timing. Not our timing, but God’s. You see, His timing is perfect. We are simply here to follow the plan and allow Him to do His work on when things happen. And that something that is difficult to handle and come to terms with.

I may have grown up in the church, but all is not perfect and frankly, God is sincerely still working on me as I continue to strive to take action in the plan He has for me. I struggle daily with making sense of it all. But, I was chosen to come into the light and for that I will remain faithful. I will continue to follow the plan He has for me and with that will continue to grow closer to Him and the reward He has for me in heaven.

Whatever the timing, know that you are chosen to come into the light. God has the plan already laid out for each of us and our duty is to follow the plan and allow Him to work.

When you think of the light provided by God, where do you find yourself in relation to that light? Are you aware that the timing of things are controlled by God and that His plan is there for you to follow and grow with? Have you accepted that you were chosen to come into the light and will be rewarded for your obedience?

Just how big is God?

“¹³I charge you in the presence of God, who gives life to all things, and of Christ Jesus, who in his testimony before Pontius Pilate made the good confession, ¹⁴to keep the commandment unstained and free from reproach until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ, ¹⁵which he will display at the proper time—he who is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords, ¹⁶who alone has immortality, who dwells in unapproachable light, whom no one has ever seen or can see. To him be honor and eternal dominion. Amen.” – 1 Timothy 6:13-16 (ESV)

And there you go. Paul, speaking to Timothy, declares the glory of God to be so big that He “dwells in unapproachable light”.

When studying this morning, I had to simply sit back and wonder just how big that really is. I was drawn to thinking of the biggest light I could, the sun. The sun is able to light up this whole world, and that in and of itself is really big. But the sun is small compared to God. All of the stars in the sky are the “sun” of their area and yet appear so small in the night. When I think that God is in the unapproachable light, and compare to the sun, I have to think of a light that dwarfs all the stars in the sky to even have a chance to understand just how big God is.

My ESV commentary says: “Paul focuses on the glory of God in order that the corresponding smallness of Timothy’s opponents might be seen.” When I read that I realize that God is the biggest and no matter who opposes me, with God on my side, they will have no chance to overcome me ultimately. Yes, they may be able to defeat me here on this world, but I win ultimately through the salvation I have accepted through Jesus Christ.

In your mind, just how big is God? Are you able to lean on Him and declare His glory to all to show just how big He is? Will you allow God to be big and declare Him knowing that your reward is in heaven, not here?

This morning as I studied the passage for the day, I was a bit confused. As I have mentioned and we all should be aware, I then dug in to work through that confusion and not just accept that I was not understanding.

“¹³But when anything is exposed by the light, it becomes visible, ¹⁴for anything that becomes visible is light. There is says, ‘Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.’” – Ephesians 5:13-14 (ESV)

I am not sure if you can see what confused me, but it was that as a Christian and one that is to carry and bring the light of Christ to expose the actions that are occurring in the darkness, and when exposed it becomes visible and anything visible is light as written in the above scripture. I was confounded with the idea that the dark actions would now be light just because it was exposed.

But that is not it as I studied deeper. I am to bring the light to the darkness and expose them to the light. Once exposed, I must make sure that they remain and not just back away and give up on making sure that everyone is aware. The commentary in my ESV states, “Expose means either to reprove or to convince through argument and discussion, at the same time taking great care not to gossip or slander others.”

So I am to bring the light to the darkness and continue shining the light in the darkness so as to bring light so all can see what is really going on around them. I am to remain visible and exposed the darkness. Also, stated in the same commentary, “Christians should show by their lives and there wise interactions that the works of darkness are not to be ignored among God’s holy people.”

When you are out there, are you shining the light into the darkness? How are you proceeding once you have shone the light? What are you doing to continue exposing the darkness and being the visible light?

It is so easy to be deceived. I have witnessed many that have placed themselves on some sort of pedestal to be seen by all, only to be exposed and fall in grand fashion. In the world of faith, the same holds true. There have been those that claim to be of Christ and preaching of Him only to be exposed in their sin and having taken advantage of those that were not mature in Christ enough to see the deception, or enamored by the glitz and fanfare that they chose not to see it.

“¹³For such men are false apostles, deceitful workmen, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ. ¹⁴And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angle of light. ¹⁵So it is no surprise if his servants, also, disguise themselves as servants of righteousness. Their end will correspond to their deeds.” – 2 Corinthians 11:13-15 (ESV)

Paul is speaking to the Corinthians here about the dangers of the false apostles. He is very forthcoming with his words and straight to the point. He warns that what you see is not always what is true and that they should be aware and not ignore when something seems out of line with Christ.

This holds true today, as I see it, even more so. With social media, there is the opportunity for many to put on a persona of one thing and in reality things are certainly 180 degrees different. I know of those that have professed one thing for the world to see, and then when the camera is off, they are contrary to what they have presented.

It is up to us to take what we see at face value only and dig to find the truth. Once we start digging, we will be enlightened to what is really going on and even the motives behind it. For me I have to even remember that when I go looking I have to be prepared for what I find.

When it comes to the Light of Christ, the study of God’s Word is the way to find the truth. I know that there are plenty of passages that when taken out of context, can appear to lift up those that are deceiving. When I truly dig into Scripture, I am able to find the truth that is God’s Word and distance myself from those that actively deceiving.

When you are in the world, have you been deceived by someone claiming to be of the light of God? When did you realize you had been deceived? What actions can you take in the future to prepare for and avoid this happening again?

This morning I was led to a passage that I had studied just a few months ago. In fact, the study was on the word “darkness” and now I study the word “light”. As I read through the passage and my study, I felt there was little if anything to add and therefore will simply post it once again, below.

I will say that you will notice the title of this study is slightly different than that of before and I do believe that they compliment each other. For we want to fellowship and only partner with those like us and not those that are against us.

Below you will find my thoughts as posted before:

Fellowship with Those in the Light, not the Darkness

“¹⁴Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness? ¹⁵What accord has Christ with Belial? Or what portion does a believer share with an unbeliever? ¹⁶What agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God;” – 2 Corinthians 6:14-16 (ESV)

Notice the contrasts in the verses above. When I only look at them, I should not be engaged with those that are opposite of me. I am to fellowship with those that are like me and avoid others.

But that is not what Paul refers to in these verses. What he is referring to is that we should not be best of friends with those that are outside of our beliefs. I should continue to engage with others, but my engagement should be in the interest of service, love, care, and bringing the gospel to them. Even Jesus Himself interacted and engaged with the tax collectors and Pharisees, however His best friends were the disciples and those of like beliefs.

“¹⁶as God said, ‘I will make my dwelling among them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. ¹⁷Therefore go out from their midst, and be separate from them, says the Lord, and touch no unclean thing; then I will welcome you, ¹⁸and I will be a father to you, and you shall be sons and daughters to me, says the Lord Almighty.’” – 2 Corinthians 6:16-18 (ESV)

I see in the second half of verse 16 and through verse 18 above that as a member of the temple of the living God, I will be walking with Him each day. I will have the opportunity to fellowship and build my relationship with Him. I am however to commune with others in the temple and as such will have a relationship with others like me and my beliefs.

Just as oil is to water, light is to darkness, good is to evil, I am to be to those that are not like me. I can be in their presence, but until one of us becomes like the other, we are not able to commune fully. I can be friendly with them, but I should not be in continuous fellowship with them. I choose to be of the temple of the living God and fellowship with others that are there with me.

Thinking of the relationships you have around you, are they like you? Are you seeking fellowship and a relationship with those that are outside of your beliefs? Will you choose to be of the temple of the living God and fellowship with others in the light?

“³And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. ⁴In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.” – 2 Corinthians 4:3-4 (ESV)

Satan is doing everything he can to keep us from seeing the light that is Christ Jesus. He is placing a veil between Christ and me, he is blinding my mind with things of this world to distract me from hearing the gospel. Paul states this for the Corinthians so they are aware of the cunning of Satan.

Even in today’s world, Satan continues to do his dirty work. He is driving the removal of Christ from this world. There are those that are in active defiance of the church, and there are those that are in subtle defiance. All of which are in defiance of God’s church and are being led by Satan as he works to hide our hearts from the light of Christ.

I am doing my level best to bring the light forward for all to see. I am only one man and whereas I may not see the impact, the light that I bring forward is seen by some and that is my task as given to me by God. I can only do the work and allow God to do His work. I am tasked to bring the light forward and God will brighten things up through His love and care for us and those around us.

Our duty is to bring the light and allow God to use the light to break through the veiled, blinded, and hardened hearts of those in the world. And when we have brought the light to one area, we move to the next and start again. God will do His work once we have completed ours.

In the world, are you bringing the light of Christ? When bringing the light, are you trying to do more than what you are tasked with by God? Will you simply bring the light with you everywhere to the veiled, blinded, and hardened hearts of the world?

I am taken this morning to Alaska and the periods when the sun does not set. During that time, the light of day is always there. No darkness, jut light 24 hrs a day.

“¹¹Besides this you know the time, that the hour has come for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed. ¹²The night is far gone; the day is at hand. So then let us cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light. ¹³Let us walk properly as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and sensuality, not in quarreling and jealousy.” – Romans 13:11-13 (ESV)

As a child of God, I have the same period of light always on me. Not the sunlight, but the light of God. As such I am always in the light. I am visible for all to see. I am not hidden from view. I have a responsibility to walk in the light for all to see with the Christ as the focus of my every day.

It is easy to stay in the darkness, and frankly there have been days that I have not felt much like walking in the light. I felt like finding a dark place to just settle in and hide from everyone and everything.

That however is not the possible, as God always knows right where we are and will shine His light on us. He will allow us the opportunity to relax for a moment, but hiding is not in the cards. We are children of God and therefore will be in the light always.

Do you imagine yourself always being in the light? When you have wanted to hide in the darkness, have you found it difficult as God seems to always be shining the light on you? Will you be prepared to always walk in the light?