At one time or other, we all walk in darkness.

“²The people who walked in darkness have see a great light; those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness on them has light shined.” – Isaiah 9:2 (ESV)

Here the words are depicting those who used to walk in darkness have found the light that is Christ. I am one of those that have found the light and now I have the privilege of walking in that light daily. The “deep darkness” is all around me, but I walk in the light that only Christ can manifest.

For me it does seem sometimes that darkness is taking over this world around me. I know that in society we experience many difficult moments and events that make it difficult to see the light. As that darkness is all around, Christ is there as the light in that darkness.

This morning as I went for my morning exercise, I passed by house with a powerful light illuminating an area, and as it shone toward me, my shadow was cast opposite the light. A few steps later, I was under the street light and as the light shone down on me, my shadow cast from that light shining toward me was gone.

The world is casting shadows all around us and it is difficult to make sense of it all. When we find ourselves in the light from above, Christ wipes out those shadows and gives us the protection from that darkness.

The light of Christ that shines from above is available for us all. The love and care of Christ is so strong and wide that all of the shadows around are wiped out when we are in the light that is Christ.

When you find yourself dealing with the darkness and shadows, where are you turning? Are you seeking the light from above? What if you were to look for the light as given by Christ, after all it is provided for all?

“⁵O house of Jacob, come, let us walk in the light of the LORD. ²It shall come to pass in the latter days that the mountain of the house of the LORD shall be established as the highest of the mountains, and shall be lifted up above the hills; and all the nations shall flow to it, ³and many peoples shall come, and say: ‘Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob, that he may teach us his ways and that we may walk in his paths.’ For out of Zion shall go the law and word of the LORD from Jerusalem.” – Isaiah 2:5, 2-3 (ESV)

If you are reading like I did, the first thing that stands out is that the house of the LORD is atop a mountain. Not at the side of the sea, or near the open fields, or at the edge of town, but the “highest of the mountains”. And Isaiah is saying that the house of Jacob will come to the house of the LORD.

It is not easy to continue on the path to the LORD. The terrain is difficult and treacherous. The journey is long and tiresome. Not an evening stroll, but a strenuous uphill climb.

But, the reward is worth the trip. When we make the journey, we find the glory of the LORD. We learn His ways and establish our walk in the path He provides for us. I am glad for the journey and the prospect of finding the glory that lies ahead with Him.

I choose to follow the lighted path. The trip will be difficult, but the path is lighted making every step on solid ground. I will find the truth that is Christ and with that truth will have the learning to meet the challenges that lie in my path with confidence, strength, and resolve. I will overcome all that is presented because I am on the lighted path.

In the world, are you on the lighted path provided by God? What if you were to follow Him, taking that difficult road up the mountain? How much more would you learn as you travel in the light of the LORD?

This morning my prayer was for God to continue doing His work through me. To continue allowing me to see the work that He is doing through me. And what do you know, He led me to the passage for me to see He is listening.

“¹⁰⁵Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.” – Psalm 119:105 (ESV)

It is something to feel as though I am doing the work of God and yet I am not able to see the results of that work. To walk away after completing the job you set out to do only to hear of, at a much later time, an impact that was recently made in the same area.

I have to remember that God has me doing a job for Him and that job is not for me. I am to walk in the path He has lighted for me. I am to do His work for His glory and rest knowing that I have been a good a faithful servant. I have fulfilled my task and He is well pleased.

I know that too often I look for the acknowledgment from man for the work that I have done and when that does not come, I am frustrated and disappointed. The reality is, it does not matter what man has to say, I am doing the work in the path lit by God for me and when I have fulfilled my duty to the task given, I have glorified God and I am now ready to take on the next task in the lighted path for me.

I use the light of God to bring Him glory and when I do so, He will encourage me by allowing me to see the fruit of my labor when the time is right for me to see.

What things have you done and felt that you were not acknowledged of even being there? Were you more focused on the end journey than on the light path and tasks given to you by God? What if you were to focus on the lighted path and work given in order to simply glorify God?

“¹³For you have delivered my soul from death, yes, my feet from falling, that I may walk before God in the light of life.” – Psalm 56:13 (ESV)

I have nothing left to fear. Death has been taken from me and I have been freed to walk in peace. What is that peace but the light of God’s face which provides life for me.

Walking in the “light of life” is not something to take passively. I must continue to do the work of Christ in my life to which I will be bringing glory to God.

“¹²I must perform my vows to you, O God; I will render thank offering to you.” – Psalm 56:12 (ESV)

Now that I have been given the gift of eternal life, I owe a debt to God that can never be repaid. I know that sounds so permanent and that I am bound forever and will never be able to escape. But, God’s gift is just that, a gift. As I look at what my role is, I maintain that I should be thankful and accept the gift and reciprocate to the Father all that is in me without question or expectation of more than He has already given.

As I progress through this world, I am blessed to have been given the gift of salvation and with that I am able to delight in the light of His face as I continue. This world is not my final destination, and as I continue in and through it, I must continue giving glory to the one that provides for me, GOD.

Are you able to continue in this world knowing that you have been given a gift? Are you looking for more, or are you aware that the gift given is the ultimate? What are you doing to delight in the light provided by God and how are you honoring him?

Think about this for a moment, you are walking in the park at night and you suddenly need to stop and tie your shoe. You have the option of stopping right where you are or walking an addition 100 feet to where there is a street light. Where do you stop? I know for me, I would walk the additional 100 feet to get to the street light for a couple of reasons. 1) It would certainly be a little easier to tie my shoe if I can see what I am doing and 2) I would feel a bit more secure in the light than simply stopping where I was.

“¹The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?” – Psalm 27:1 (ESV)

I have a light to stop under at all times and that light is God. No, I am not saying that God provides the light for me to tie my shoe under. I have Him to provide the brightness that I can feel secure in as I cover this world. I do not have to be afraid of the world around me with the LORD lighting my way. The forces around me are in the dark and are not prepared for the light that the LORD provides. I am protected by simply living my life in the light of Christ.

Here is where it may be a bit confusing. Just accepting that the LORD provides the light for my path, does not mean that I have nothing else to do. I have to remain on the path. God has given me tasks to complete and as I am working through those tasks for God, He is providing the light for my protection. When I wander off the path is where I will find myself in danger of being devoured by the enemy. God is with me, always, I must remember that and when I do, I will bask in the protection He provides for me.

When you are in the world, are you sticking to the path lighted by the LORD? What have you experienced when you find you have wandered off the path? What protections have you benefited from as you have remained on the path lighted by God?

I just finished reading the book “FiSH” that lists out how to improve results at work and two of the ways are to “Be Present” and “Make Their Day”. God does this for us each day, especially when we ask Him.

“⁶There are many who say, ‘Who will show us some good? Lift up the light of your face upon us, O LORD!’ ⁷You have put more joy in my heart than they have when their grain and wine abound.” – Psalm 4:6-7 (ESV)

I see in these verses both of the concepts mentioned in the book I mentioned. God will “be present” as He shows us His face when we ask to speak with Him. He devotes His actions and time and attention to us as a father does for a child. There may not be anything that God does for us in that moment of attention, but He is there, listening and attentive to us as we let it out and “vent” things to Him. He allows us to speak to Him and he just listens intently to what it is we have to say.

He “makes their day” as well as he provides the hugs and care we are in search of in those times we come to Him. He holds us and spends the time with us as we are in need and during that time, His attention is there with us. He gives us more than just the monetary and physical, He give us joy and inner satisfaction that we do matter and for that I want more and know the way to get more is to ask and devote my time to Him just as He devotes His time to me.

God is there for us as a light, not just in the darkness, but also as security and provision. He is there with us when we ask and when with us, it is not just the cursory being in the room, He is there physically, mentally, and spiritually for us to draw on to satisfy the needs we have. I am grateful that God shows the light of His face for me to follow in all times.

What awareness do you have the God is present with you? What does it look like for your as God makes your day? How are you allowing God to demonstrate His presence through the light of His face in your life each day?

Too often I find myself brooding over what I perceive as a lack of reciprocation in the actions that I have taken in life. It seems as though I have provided assistance and compassion and guidance for others. Job felt much the same way, and said as much.

“²⁴Yet does not one in a heap of ruins stretch out his hand, and in his disaster cry for help? ²⁵Did not I weep for him whose day was hard? Was not my soul grieved for the needy?” – Job 30:24-25 (ESV)

I feel as though I provide help for those in need, much like Job, and in return I am left in the cold when my time of need arises, as Job does as well.

“²⁶But when I hoped for good, evil came, and when I waited for light, darkness came.” – Job 30:26 (ESV)

I feel abandoned when there is something I need, or have asked for, and do not receive in return. I give and give and serve and serve, only to be left out in the cold when I am in need.

But am I? Man only thinks of himself as it is in our nature to do so. Am I thinking of this all wrong as a man? I should be thinking of how I can glorify God and then look to Him for my reward and the reciprocation on the work that I have done. It really makes no difference what man thinks of the work I have done, I do not do any of it for glory in this world. I don’t know why it matters to me that I receive from this world.

My work serving others is driven by my work for God and therefore the reward I receive is from Him. I need to be looking for light in Him and know that there is no darkness there. I look for good in Him and know that there is no evil there. I look for God and know there is nothing or no one else there to provide for me.

When looking for the reciprocation for the work you have done, where are you looking? Are you seeking the validation from man? What would it be like if you looked to God to light your way?

“³And God said, ‘Let there be light,’ and there was light.” – Genesis 1:3 (ESV)

And there you have it, after created the heavens and the earth, God created light. I guess I had never really thought about the order of things and how that order plays into scripture. Christ was the light of the world and brought love to all of mankind and just like Christ, I am to be a light for Christ in the world today in all I do.

“⁴And God saw that the light was good. And God separated the light from the darkness.” – Genesis 1:4 (ESV)

“God saw that the light was good”, what a glorious revelation, one that impacts the rest of my view of scripture and my outlook on my life here in this world. God knew good when he saw it and it only stands to reason that He would expand on that goodness and so He brought us Christ as the light of the world.

I am continually amazed at how something that I have read and been aware of for so long can finally hit me as knowledge so much later in life. I have known verses 1-5 of Genesis as long as I have known the bible. And until now, I had not really thought of the impact of those verses on the rest of God’s Word and how it impacts my life.

I am grateful that I have the chance to continue learning each day. I am blessed to have the opportunity to witness and be a part of the goodness that is Jesus Christ. I have been called upon to be a light in this dark world as to the glory of Christ and bring His bright light to those in the dark. I cannot hide that light under a basket. It is my task as assigned by God to let my light shine and be sure that I am making it visible to the rest of the world.

“¹⁹Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing the in the name of the Father, and the Son and the Holy Spirit, ²⁰teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” – Matthew 28:19-20 (ESV)

When you go out, are you the light to those around you? What actions are you taking to be that light? Are you carrying out the good light as God identified when the world began?

“²Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by I you may grow up into salvation—³if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good.” – 1 Peter 2:2-3 (ESV)

This morning as I wrap up my study of the word “hypocrisy” for now, I was brought to this passage in 1 Peter, where the text is titled, “A Living Stone and a Holy People”. In the first few verses, he indicates that we should be “like newborn infants”. I was reminded that when we become a “new” born again Christian, we are starting over and need to learn, just like the newborn infant.

Newborns know nothing and only “desire for nourishment that will lead to growth” (NIV Commentary, verses 2 & 3). They are reliant on simply receiving that which they need to live and grow bigger, stronger, and knowing. They are not sure what it is they need to know, only receive all that comes and apply it to situations as they see examples of when they learned.

Why is it that we are not like the newborn and feel as though we already know all there is to know?

“¹So put away all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander.” – 1 Peter 2:1 (ESV)

And there it is, the why. I forget that as adults, we are in it not for the knowledge and growth and learning, but for how it will benefit me and how I can use it against others. You see that Peter addresses it clearly by writing that we should “put away” such things and become “like a newborn infant”. I have to remember that as a child of God, I really don’t know anything and as such, when I do learn of it, I should apply it as I see examples of when I learned.

And where should I be learning, God’s Word and those that are mature in His Word, just as a parent providing examples for the immature child. I do not know and when I learn, I am still not mature enough to know how to use what I learn. I have to be willing and take the action to put away the selfish desires of me and look to how I can use this newfound knowledge for the enhancement of the gospel and of Christ in the world I am in.

I am even at almost 50 years old, just a child of God and I should be looking to Him as my example of what right looks like as I do the work He has for me.

Have you been acting “like a newborn infant”? What things have you learned and are applying to your life in a selfish manner to only be better than those around you? What if you “put away” all of that and applied your learning to the your tasks assigned by God?

I am sure that most of us have heard that phrase before, and I am confident that we are pretty clear on the meaning. Others will look at how we are conducting ourselves more than they will listen to our words. It is important for us to always act according to God’s plan as we never know who is watching, and frankly, God is always watching.

“¹¹But when Cephas cam to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he stood condemned. ¹²For before certain men came from James, he was eating with the Gentiles; but when they came he drew back and separated himself, fearing the circumcision party. ¹³And the rest of the Jews acted hypocritically along with him, so that even Barnabas was led astray by their hypocrisy.” – Galatians 2:11-13 (ESV)

In and of itself, Peter (Cephas) was not doing anything that was outside of the gospel. As with the death of Christ on the cross, the Jewish laws and customs were not what justified one in the eyes of God. So eating with the Gentiles was not the issue being addressed by Paul as we might think. It was the doing so when no one was around to see him do it and then when men of the Jewish church came around, he “came back” to the Jewish law to “be seen as right” in the eyes of those from the church.

This is not secluded to the church and in the eyes of Christ. I see this in the business world as often, if not more, than I see in my dealings with those from the church. It is a matter of integrity. What makes it even worse in the business world is that it is considered a common practice and accepted.

“¹⁴But when I saw that their conduct was not it step with the truth of the gospel, I said to Cephas before them all, ‘If you, though a Jew, live like a Gentile and not like a Jew, how can you force the Gentile to live like Jews?’” – Galatians 2:14 (ESV)

Thankfully, Paul calls Peter out and hold him to account for his actions. Paul makes it very clear to Peter, and everyone else, that his actions are not in accordance with his words. We cannot expect someone to do things in the way that we expect, if we are acting contrary to those expectations ourselves. This is the matter of integrity and having a lack of it is severely negatively impacting to the further of what is expected.

We are to not only be speakers of the truth, but we must act in the way that shows the truth. And those actions are all the time, not just when the “important” people are watching, because the most important, GOD, is always watching and knows our every move and more importantly, our motives.

What are some things that you are currently doing that may be contrary to what you expect to be the right thing to do? How are you acting differently in the presence of the “important” people? Are your actions speaking louder than your words as you travel this world working for Christ?